The Chicago Bulls (24-16) defeated the Detroit Pistons (22-19) 111-101 on Monday.
The recent form of these two teams would have indicated a different result, but it was clear the Bulls were sick of their recent poor play. The biggest differential in the game was the ball movement, as Chicago recorded 28 assists to the Pistons 18. That obviously leads to better shooting, which can be emphasized by the fact that the Bulls shot 52 percent to the Pistons 44. Detroit was also horrendous from long distance as they went just 5-for-26 in the loss.
The Bulls came into this game losing four of their last five and this was a much needed win against some good competition. Pau Gasol carried the team on his back, as he collected 31 points and 12 rebounds in a spectacular game. Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler combined for 36 points and 13 assists as well. The bench was one of the keys though, as they got 10 assists from Aaron Brooks and nearly doubled up the scoring of the Pistons bench. Up next for Chicago is one of its toughest games of the year, as they host the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday.
The Pistons got off to a nice start in this game, but couldn’t get anything going after that. They scored 32 points in the first quarter, but were outscored in every quarter after that. The bench was a huge letdown, as the five players combined for just 18 points and seven rebounds in the loss. All five starters did score in double-figures, but it' just too difficult to win with the bench doing so little. Andre Drummond was their best player tonight per usual, as he tallied 13 points and 16 rebounds in another great game. Ersan Ilyasova also put in a double-double and he's been a great surprise for this Detroit team all year. The Pistons will travel to Houston on Wednesday for their next game against the Rockets.
