Deng 20-20

The Bulls were able to scrap up a clutch win after a sloppy 1st quarter where they shot 25% and only scored 13. The Bucks lead by as many as 18. The Bulls might be without Ben Gordon, but the Bucks didn't have Michael Redd either, so that made this a winnable game! Deng was really the only consistent player. He had 8 points and 11 rebounds by halftime and finished with 24 and 20 (career high in rebounds). It was a different Luol Deng than we were used to. He got inside and banged into the big guys. Hopefully he can do that more often and be the missing inside presence. The rest of the guys need to step up on offense as they need to make up for the 20+ points per game Gordon used to give them. I actually see some improvements in Noah. Thomas has the talents, but still has attitude issues.

When I break this down, a close game against the Bucks is not a good thing. This was a team they owned last year and now they barely got a win? If Redd was active, it surely would've been a loss.