Bulls at Nets
The Chicago Bulls look to conclude their seven-game road swing with a win over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday. Derrick Rose played 28 minutes after being limited to just 10 in his previous game to spark the Bulls to a 109-102 victory over the Boston Celtics and they hope to finish their road trip with a 4-3 record by beating the Nets for the fifth time in six meetings. "You have to think about where Derrick is," coach Tom Thibodeau said. "He's going to be fine, he just has to string a few games together."
Brooklyn has lost six of its last eight games despite downing the winless Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. The underachieving Nets are already six games behind the Toronto Raptors for top spot in the Atlantic Division and have not beaten a team that currently sports a winning record this season. "We haven't had everybody hitting on all cylinders yet," Deron Williams admitted to reporters. "We haven't had one of those nights where everybody's clicking and we want to do that eventually."
TV: 3 p.m. ET, CSN Chicago, YES (Brooklyn)
ABOUT THE BULLS (10-6): Joakim Noah collected 15 points, 14 rebounds, six blocks and six steals in the win over the Celtics after missing the loss to the Denver Nuggets with a knee injury. Rose poured in 13 of his 21 points in the second half versus Boston after fears that he wouldn't play after re-aggravating his sore hamstring against Denver. Taj Gibson - who has scored in double figures eight times this season - has missed the last two games with an ankle injury and is unlikely to suit up on Sunday.
ABOUT THE NETS (6-8): Williams has been one of the lone bright spots for Brooklyn, averaging 18 points, seven assists and 2.2 steals in his last five outings. Kevin Garnett returned to the lineup after a rest day against the Portland Trail Blazers to contribute nine points, nine rebounds and four steals - including a clutch jumper with 32 seconds left to help clinch the victory over the 76ers. The much-maligned Brook Lopez had one of his best games of the season, scoring 19 points and grabbing seven rebounds against Philadelphia.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Bulls are 8-3 on the road while the Nets are 3-3 at home.
2. Chicago has beaten Brooklyn in nine of the last 12 meetings.
3. The Nets have topped the 100-point mark just once in their last seven games.