On Monday, March 19, the Chicago Bulls beat the Orlando Magic 85-59.
The team played its fourth game without MVP Derrick Rose, who continues to battle a groin injury. He is on the mend (now wearing athletic clothes instead of a gloomy suit) and could be back later this week as he is listed day-to-day.
But for now, the Bulls continue to find ways to win without him. While C.J. Watson and Luol Deng deal with their own injuries, there's no new ones to report and the team has come together to forge ahead, picking off one team at a time.
For Monday's win, there were a few keys to the Bull's victory. Let's start with the Bull's defense.
The Bulls played a strong defensive game, holding the Magic to only 59 points. This number represented a new team record for the least amount of regular season points in a game.
Boozer said of the win, "The real story honestly is our defense. Our defense was … that was probably one of the best performances we've had this season. It was fitting because they kicked our butt in Chicago, (and) got a big win. For us to come back and do this … it's a big win for us."
To say Dwight Howard looked frustrated during Monday's game is an understatement.
A second key to the win was the Magic's numerous turnovers and sparse free throw points.
On Monday, the home team had 19 turnovers, of which the Bulls scored 25 points from them. Yes, the Bulls did incur 16 turnovers of their own, but Orlando only grabbed seven points from them.
Contributing to the Magic's demise was only going 7 for 18 from the free throw line (39 percent).
And a third key to Monday's win that has been a constant throughout the season: the Bulls have a lot of depth.
Once again, Carlos Boozer stepped up and led the team in scoring with 24 points, along with 13 rebounds. The veteran player has been playing on a high level in Rose's absence and fortunately has remained healthy this season.
John Lucas III has also been playing very well in the last few weeks—especially during Rose's recent absence. On Monday, he led the Bench Mob in scoring as he contributed 20 points in 21 minutes of play. Overall he was the team's second-highest scorer. The team's only other double-digit contributor for the night was Deng with 14 points.
The Bulls have a day of rest and will then play Toronto on Wednesday, March 21.
As a lifelong Bulls fan and Chicago resident, the Derrick Rose era has been a good one.
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