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Bulls guard Derrick Rose takes a break during Tuesday's rout of the Hawks in Atlanta. (US Presswire)

By K.C. Johnson

ATLANTA -- Nobody compares to Michael Jordan.

That said, Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose is developing a similarly encyclopedic recall of his missteps and using them as motivation.

Before the Feb. 2 road game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Rose talked disgustedly of his missed late free throw that would've tied a one-point home loss to the same team in December.

Then Rose dropped 32 points on the Clippers in a road victory.

Bulls forward Taj Gibson plans to keep playing despite a painful toe injury. (US Presswire)

By K.C. Johnson

Chicago Bulls forward Taj Gibson sat with a towel over his head and his feet covered in ice.

The pain in his jammed big right toe paled, though, in comparison to the pained expression he wore when asked if he planned to play Tuesday night against the Hawks in Atlanta.

"Knowing me, I'm going to ice it down and play," Gibson said. "That's what I do."

Indeed, for all the various ailments Gibson has battled during his first two seasons in the league, including a painful bout with plantar fasciitis last season, the forward has missed just two games. He played in all 82 games during his rookie season.

By K.C. Johnson

All five starters scored in double figures with Derrick Rose leading the way with 18 points and eight assists as the Chicago Bulls downed the Sacramento Kings 132-92 Monday night at United Center.

The Bulls, who welcomed Carlos Boozer back from his five-game absence with a sprained left ankle, won their 13th straight home game and record the 14th 50-win season in franchise history.

Boozer played 26 minutes with 16 points, five rebounds and four assists. Taj Gibson also played after missing practice Sunday with a jammed big right toe.

Marcus Thornton's 25 points led the Kings.

The Bulls set season-highs for points, assists (34), 3-point shooting (70.6 percent).

PHOTO GALLERY: Bulls beat Kings | Monday's box score

Taj Gibson (left) and Carlos Boozer (5) defend against the Heat's Dwyane Wade. (Reuters)

By K.C. Johnson

Carlos Boozer participated in the Chicago Bulls' Monday morning shootaround and will start against the Sacramento Kings Monday night after missing the previous five games with a sprained left ankle.

"He was fine," coach Tom Thibodeau said. "It's great. We want to be at full strength. He adds a lot to our team. Offensively, low-post game, pick-and-roll game, catch-and shoot. Defensively, he rebounds."

Taj Gibson jammed his right big toe during Friday's overtime loss to the Pacers and wore a walking boot after Sunday's practice, which he skipped. But Gibson didn't have a walking boot on after Monday's shootaround, and Thibodeau said the second-year big man would try to play.

Derrick Rose walks off the floor as the Sacramento Kings celebrate their comeback victory last season. (Scott Strazzante/Tribune)

By K.C. Johnson

Remember the Sacramento Kings' last visit to the United Center? The Chicago Bulls do.

On Dec. 21, 2009, the Kings posted the second-biggest comeback in NBA history, storming back from 35 points down in the third quarter to post a 102-98 stunner.

"I definitely learned from that game," Derrick Rose said. "It was a heartbreaker. If you're up 30, try to push it to 40 or 50 points. I remember that game for sure. The celebration they were doing after they won, I remember it."

The Bulls defeated the Kings in Sacramento earlier this season on Nov. 27, so they've already extracted some measure of revenge. In that game, Joakim Noah tore a thumb ligament that he played through for nine games before eventually succumbing to thumb surgery and missing 30.

"Losing a 35-point lead, that sucks," Joakim Noah said. "And when you tear a ligament, that sucks too."

By K.C. Johnson

The Chicago Bulls practiced Sunday with new signees Jannero Pargo and John Lucas III on the court and Carlos Boozer returning to the floor for the first time since spraining his left ankle on March 9.

Boozer will be a gametime decision for Monday's home game against the Sacramento Kings.

"I feel good," Boozer said. "We'll see how it feels (Monday). We'll make a decision then. We just want to make sure it's right. The pain is still there. You don't want to be stupid and come back too soon and have a nagging injury."

Also, Luol Deng and Taj Gibson skipped practice with their aches and pains, a move coach Tom Thibodeau called "precautionary." However, Gibson wore a walking boot on his right foot afterward, a result of him jamming his big toe on his right foot in Saturday's overtime loss to the Pacers.

NEW ORLEANS -- Ray Allen scored 20 points, including the clinching free throws with 2.8 seconds left, and the Boston Celtics rallied to beat the New Orleans Hornets 89-85 on Saturday night to gain a share of first place atop the Eastern Conference standings with the Bulls.

Allen also had a key offensive rebound that led to Glen Davis' two foul shots that made it 87-83 with 15.2 seconds left. Davis also had 20 points.

The Celtics trailed 56-41 early in third quarter, but closed the period with a 23-6 run to go ahead 67-64.

David West led New Orleans with 32 points. Marco Belinelli added a season-high 23 points but Chris Paul went without a basket for only the fourth time in his career, finishing 0 of 9 from the floor.

Meanwhile in Miami, LeBron James scored 33 points, Dwyane Wade had 32 and the Heat never trailed during a 103-98 victory over the Denver Nuggets.The Heat are now two games back of the Bulls and Celtics.

Photo: The Celtics' Paul Pierce drives to the basket on New Orleans' Emeka Okafor. (Chuck Cook/US Presswire)

By K.C. Johnson

The Bulls will re-sign guard John Lucas III, according to sources. Lucas is expected to join the team at Sunday's practice.

It's likely the Bulls will add another player to bring their roster to 15 players. Jannero Pargo is a strong possibility, a source said. These last two signings are strictly for injury insurance and depth and also create financial flexibility for possible future trades.

Lucas appeared in two games earlier this season for the Bulls.

By K.C. Johnson

After the Boston Celtics play in New Orleans on Saturday, they will either be tied with or trail the Chicago Bulls by one game with 14 to play in the race for the Eastern Conference's No. 1 seed.

The teams have one meeting remaining, on April 7 at the United Center. Even if the Bulls win that matchup, which would knot their season series at 2-2, the Celtics currently hold the tiebreaker edge by virtue of a better conference record.

But on paper, the Bulls' schedule is easier the rest of the way. The Bulls, who took Saturday off, have seven road games and seven opponents over .500 the rest of the way.

After Saturday's game in New Orleans, the Celtics have eight road games and eight opponents over .500 the rest of the way. That includes road games against the Knicks, Spurs, Hawks, Bulls and Heat.

"We just want to be consistent with our approach and focus on what's directly in front of us," coach Tom Thibodeau said. "We don't want to change things."

It looks to be a battle down to the wire.

By K.C. Johnson

INDIANAPOLIS --- If this eventually proves to be a first-round playoff preview, the Bulls might want to pack some smelling salts for the return engagement.

In easily the most physical game of the season, the Bulls were pushed around early, rallied late and eventually had their eight-game winning streak ended Friday night when the Pacers overcame a fourth-quarter collapse for a 115-108 overtime victory.

The bruises didn't end when the final buzzer sounded. The level of self-flagellation in the postgame locker room proved a season-high as well.

"My turnovers hurt the game, plain and simple," Derrick Rose said. "(Overtime) is the time I'm supposed to take over. And I didn't show up."

About the only good news came when the Celtics lost in Houston, keeping the Bulls 1/2 a game ahead in the race for the Eastern Conference's top playoff seed.

Photo: Joakim Noah grabs a rebound against the Pacers on Friday night. (Michael Hickey/US Presswire)

NEWARK -- Omer Asik politely declined to talk in anything but his native Turkish tongue after his first career double-double in Thursday's 84-73 victory over the Nets.

That's OK. Plenty of others talked for him after his 11-point, 16-rebound night.

"He's been playing so good for us," Joakim Noah said. "I think that's the beauty of this team. We have a lot of weapons. Omer is somebody who lives in the gym. His confidence is getting better. He's understanding how he can score. He's playing at a really high level. And we need that to do what we want to do.

"I like playing with him. We're big. He contests a lot of shots."

NEWARK -- If you want a possession that sums up the these Bulls, you could do worse than what transpired Thursday night late in the third quarter of their 84-73 victory over the Nets at Prudential Center.

Ronnie Brewer missed a shot. Omer Asik battled for the rebound, creating a loose ball that he hustled to save inbounds. On the extra possession, Taj Gibson got fouled, sprawling to the floor. As he started to rise, Derrick Rose yelled at him to stop from 10 feet away --all so Rose could sprint over and pull up Gibson with a helping hand.

"We have a lot of love on this team and respect for the way we play," Rose said later.

Talent reigns supreme. But the Bulls exhibit the intangibles -- both on the court with hustle and off it with closeness -- that make this feel like a special season.

The Bulls reclaimed a half-game lead over the Celtics for the Eastern Conference's top playoff seed with their season-high eighth straight victory, the franchise's longest winning streak since a nine-game surge that ended in April 2005. They snapped the Nets' five-game winning streak despite blowing a 14-point, third-quarter lead and needing clutch plays late.

By K.C. Johnson

NEWARK -- As expected, Joakim Noah will return to his starting center position Thursday night for the Chicago Bulls against the Nets, while Carlos Boozer will miss his fourth straight game with a sprained left ankle.

Noah had missed one game with the flu. Kurt Thomas will continue to start for Boozer.

"I tried to do a little bit more, but there's still pain in one area," Boozer said. "I'll see how it feels (Friday). It's tough. I know it's getting better, but it's not ready. We're just trying to be smart about it."

Boston -- Paul Pierce scored 20 points, Jeff Green added 19 and the Boston Celtics reclaimed a share of the Eastern Conference lead with a 92-80 victory over the Indiana Pacers at TD Garden.

Ray Allen had 12 points and Nenad Krstic supplied 11 points with seven rebounds for the Celtics, who entered Wednesday having dropped three of their previous four games. Boston, at 48-18, moved into a tie with the idle Bulls for the East's top seed.

Danny Granger and Paul George both scored 15 points for Indiana, which had lost six straight before a home-and-home sweep of New York.

Derrick Rose passes around the Wizards' Trever Booker during the first quarter. (Nuccio DiNuzzo/Tribune) More photos>>

By K.C. Johnson | Box score

The Bulls aren't chasing anymore.

For weeks, coach Tom Thibodeau has tried to downplay expectations in the chase for the Eastern Conference's top seed, repeating over and over that the Bulls were the ones doing the pursuing of the defending conference champion Celtics.

Not anymore.

The Bulls downed the Wizards 98-79 Tuesday night, posting their 12th straight victory at the United Center and their second seven-game winning streak this season. In the process, the Bulls took a half-game lead over the Celtics for the No. 1 playoff seed with 16 to play.

Not surprisingly, Thibodeau preferred talking about the Bulls' defensive collapses rather than the significance of overtaking the Celtics.

"The second-quarter defense was very poor," Thibodeau said. "Our floor balance was bad. (Jordan) Crawford got going on us. I didn't like our whole defense the whole game. I didn't think we contained dribble penetration. They got to loose balls."

Derrick Rose scored 23 points, Luol Deng added 20 and Keith Bogans contributed a season-high 17 to lead the Bulls, who played without Carlos Boozer, which was expected, and Joakim Noah, which was not. Noah arrived at the morning shootaround ill with nausea and team officials sent him home. He rested all afternoon but didn't come to the United Center.

Joakim Noah will join Carlos Boozer on the sidelines as the Chicago Bulls try to win their 12th straight home game Tuesday night against the Wizards.

Noah arrived at the team's practice facility in the morning for shootaround but was sent him when he complained of illness. He rested all afternoon and didn't attend the United Center Tuesday night.

Boozer will miss his third straight game with a sprained left ankle. Coach Tom Thibodeau said Kurt Thomas and Taj Gibson will start up front.

"Lu (Deng) can go to the four," Thibodeau said. "We can increase Kyle (Korver's) minutes. We can increase Ronnie (Brewer's) minutes. We're fine. We have more than enough."

Then again, the Wizards are short-handed as well. Cartier Martin, Andray Blatche, Rashard Lewis, Nick Young, Josh Howard are out and John Wall is a gametime decision with a sore foot. The Wizards are dressing nine players.

By K.C. Johnson

Tom Thibodeau said he didn't hear Michael Jordan's claim from Saturday's halftime ceremony honoring the Chicago Bulls' first title team that the current team could win multiple championships.

Once he heard about it, Thibodeau's reaction was predictable.

"We start looking at other things and listening to other people, that's when we get in trouble," Thibodeau said. "We've just got to take care of our own business."