When the Bulls drilled Miami by 42 points in the season opener, Scott Skiles responded with a sarcastic “Yippee,” because, of course, one game doesn’t constitute a trend.
But even the coach couldn’t offer much sarcasm after his Bulls throttled Western Conference power San Antonio 99-87 in a Monday matinee at the United Center.
By holding the Spurs 12 points below their season’s average and to 39.5 percent shooting, the Bulls have now held six of their last seven opponents to sub-40 percent shooting.
The Bulls, who led the league in opponents’ field-goal percentage the last two seasons, have crept to third in that category this season after a slow start.
“We’re going on a month now of pretty solid defense, even though we’ve got some losses mixed in there,” Skiles said. “We’re not having as many overall breakdowns.”
Back-to-back strong defensive efforts have come without Ben Wallace, who missed his second straight game with a strained lower back.
The Bulls also played without Chris Duhon, placed on the inactive list for missing Sunday’s practice.
“We have 12 guys who can give us quality minutes,” P.J. Brown said.
Kirk Hinrich’s 43 minutes were of the highest quality. Hinrich flirted with a triple double and finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. He also helped defend Spurs guard Tony Parker, who entered averaging 19.5 points and finished with just six and two assists.
“I got back to being myself, playing aggressive on both ends,” Hinrich said.
Said Skiles: “Whatever that little deal he was going through, he’s come out of it.”
Ben Gordon started his second straight game and scored 20.
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BULLS BITS
– Robert Horry had a highlight dunk over Andres Nocioni late in the third quarter.
– The Bulls beat the Spurs at home for the first time since Dec. 28, 2000. Before Monday, the Bulls had lost five straight at home to the Spurs.
– Whenever Ben Wallace returns from his back injury, either P.J. Brown’s or Tyrus Thomas’ minutes will feel some pain. Given that coach Scott Skiles confirmed Brown would have started alongside Wallace had he played Monday, Thomas is the more likely candidate.
– Coming off the bench for the first time since Nov. 11 against Indiana, Nocioni put up his team-high eighth double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. He missed seven of his first eight shots.
– Wallace, who missed his second straight game, tested his strained lower back during a walk-though and by shooting jumpers on his own.
– Malik Allen returned after missing two games with a strained left calf and played six scoreless minutes.
– Brown addressed the sellout crowd of 22,218 before tipoff, delivering a poignant speech about the impact of Martin Luther King Jr.
