Luol Deng
scored a season-low six points on just eight shots in Saturday’s victory over the Bucks, the same number of attempts as
Keith Bogans
.
Yet there Deng was down the stretch, contesting
John Salmons’
missed jumper and forcing a Salmons’ turnover on consecutive possessions. Salmons, who had hurt Bogans earlier and finished with 25 points, failed to score in the fourth quarter.
“Offensively, it probably wasn’t one of his better games,” coach
Tom Thibodeau
said of Deng. “But he’s all about winning. He’s going to do whatever he has to to help the team.”
That Deng stayed with the game despite his offensive inactivity and getting burned himself by
Carlos Delfino
earlier speaks to his maturity.
“Even going back to last season or the season before, I would’ve probably been forcing shots out there,” Deng said. “But I understand now there are lots of ways you can make an impact.”
Bogans’ barometer:
The Bulls are 22-2 in games in which Bogans scores six or more points. His eight points on Saturday against the Bucks came in a flurry. He hit back-to-back 3-pointers and scored on a rare drive less than two minutes later, all off
Derrick Rose
assists at a time the Bucks started double- or triple-teaming Rose.
“That’s why I kept going to Keith,” Rose said. “He’s a shooter. He missed his first two, knocked down the next two and then scored on that drive. That’s what we need from him.”
Bogans may be much-maligned publicly but he’s widely respected inside the locker room. He’s shooting 37.1 percent on 3-pointers, trailing only his 38.7 percent for Orlando in 2006-07 for the best 3-point percentage of his eight-year career.
Second helping:
Ronnie Brewer’s
10 points led a 25-point reserve effort, the 39th time this season the Bulls’ second unit has outscored its opponents’. The Bulls are 33-6 in those games.
“Ronnie gave us a lot of energy,” Thibodeau said. “Our bench has played well all year.”
Layups:
When
Carlos Boozer
returned from his sprained ankle on March 21, Thibodeau said he planned to keep the reserve pairing of
Omer Asik
and
Taj Gibson
intact. A logical assumption was that
Kurt Thomas
would drop from the rotation. Yet Thomas has played all four games since, settling into the role of giving Boozer an early breather until Asik enters in the second quarter. … Rose has made 24 of 25 free throws in the last two games and 79 of 87 (.908) over the last nine.
