Poor Zaza Pachulia. He was targeted right from the beginning. The Chicago Bulls found Pau Gasol on the block just 10 seconds into the game, he backed in on Pachulia, pivoted to his left with a spin, and muscled in a shot off the glass. Pachulia didn't stand a chance. Not that the other Milwaukee Bucks big men did, either. Gasol was sublime in the Bulls' 95-87 win over the Bucks, scoring a career-high 46 points and grabbing 18 rebounds.
Pau Gasol’s huge night shows his importance to Bulls’ title hopes
The veteran big man had his way against Milwaukee’s front line in a big win for Chicago, has been a vital offensive cog for Bulls all season.
Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
The Bucks, one of the East's big surprises, came into Chicago with the Bulls looking to avoid their third straight loss. The Wizards thumped them on Friday in Washington two days after they an embarrassing loss to the Jazz. Gasol was a non-factor in both games -- he had 12 points and 13 rebounds in the loss to the Wizards and 13 points and six rebounds in the Jazz game. The 16-year NBA veteran made up for it with a career night in the win over the Bucks.
Gasol was hot from the start -- he went on a 7-0 run himself to start the game. His entire offensive arsenal was engaged and on full display. Gasol scored in the lane, on mid-range jumpers, and on put-backs. And against the Bucks, he scored often. Gasol had 28 points in the first half to go along with nine rebounds.
The second half was more of the same, and Gasol added another wrinkle to his game. Gasol was just as effective getting the ball at the top of the key as he was on the block. Now that he was hitting jumpers, Bucks defenders had to contest 17-footers, so Gasol pump-faked and drove to the lane. The graceful big man made runners and finger-rolls or found a cutting teammate like Taj Gibson on the block. Plus, he continued to pound the glass and get to the free-throw line. Gasol was 12-for-13 from the charity stripe. He was 17-for-30 from the field as well. All told, he nearly outscored his teammates, who put up 49 points.
Gasol was fantastic against the Bucks in a much needed win for the Bulls. He has been quite good all season, his first with the Bulls. Gasol was one of the big off-season movers, giving the Bulls an offensive threat down low to complement their suffocating defense. Even though Derrick Rose has missed his fair share of games, the play of Gasol and surprising star Jimmy Butler has kept the Bulls near the top of the East.
On the year, Gasol is averaging 18.7 points and 11.3 rebounds per game. Those are slightly better than his career numbers of 18.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, and much better than the splits he put up in his final three years with the Los Angeles Lakers. At 34, Gasol's resurgent season bodes well for the Bulls -- they signed him to a three-year deal.
It certainly looks good for the immediate future. The Bulls are 26-12, which is good for fourth place in the East, and only three games back of the conference-leading Atlanta Hawks. Last season, the Bulls' defense wreaked havoc on the league, but this season they can score. With an offensive efficiency of 105.1, the Bulls are 10th best in the league. In 2013-14, the Bulls were 27th in the league with an offensive efficiency of 99.7. The boost in offense hasn't hurt the defense, though. Last year's Bulls team had a defensive efficiency of 97.8, good enough for second in the league. This year's team is still a top-10 unit, their defensive efficiency of 101.3 is ninth best in the NBA.
Derrick Rose being healthy and Jimmy Butler having a breakout season are certainly factors in the Bulls improvement. Gasol is, too. He can’t be counted on for 46 points every night, but his ability to win a game on his own gives the Bulls three players who can control the offensive side of the court. With Joakim Noah on the defensive side, the Bulls are as dangerous as any team in the East. Especially if they’re healthy.
(All statistics via NBA.com/stats)
(H/T @dawkinsmta)
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