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Deng, Noah Lead Bulls to 121-115 over Sacramento

Deng, Noah Lead Bulls to 121-115 over Sacramento
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By Don Ellis
Feb. 14, 2012 | CHICAGO, IL
By Don Ellis Feb. 14, 2012 | 10:12 PM | CHICAGO, IL
First-time All-Star Luol Deng had 23 points, a season-high 11 assists and seven rebounds to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 121-115 win over the Sacramento Kings Tuesday night at the United Center.

With the win, Chicago head coach Tom Thibodeau becomes the coach of the Eastern Conference All-Star team in the NBA All-Star Game, which takes place Feb. 26 at Amway Arena in Orlando. Deng will be joined on the East squad by teammate Derrick Rose, who was voted in as a starter by the fans for the second consecutive season.

Chicago center Joakim Noah continued his stellar play as of late, posting another double-double with a season-high 22 points (7/11 FG) and 11 rebounds. He also contributed four blocked shots and three assists as the Bulls once again won without Rose, who missed his third consecutive game with lower back spasms.

Noah, who struggled through much of the season's first month, is now averaging 14.4 points and 10.6 rebounds in his last seven games, shooting .655 from the floor and .893 from the free throw line over that span.

Chicago's bench was outstanding in this game, as Kyle Korver had 18 points and Taj Gibson scored 15, while John Lucas III contributed a career-high nine assists. The Bulls' bench outscored their Sacramento counterparts 44-26.

The Bulls (24-7) didn't trail in the game after the first quarter, and they led by as much as 19 with under nine minutes to play. But the Kings caught fire after that, going on a 37-20 run to cut Chicago's lead to just two points when Marcus Thornton his a three-pointer with 14.8 seconds left.

The Kings were then forced to foul, and Korver and Deng each hit a pair of free throws to provide the final margin.

Sacramento was led in scoring by former Kentucky Wildcat DeMarcus Cousins, who matched his season-high with 28 points. Cousins also grabbed 17 rebounds to help the Kings to a 46-40 edge on the boards. Tyreke Evans had 27 points and Thornton 23 for the Kings, who fell to 10-18 with the loss.

 

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