Feb. 03--Who can forget Jan. 5 at the United Center?
Pau Gasol posted a monster double-double, Derrick Rose put his fingerprints all over the finish and Jimmy Butler locked down James Harden in the second half as the Bulls captured a shootout over the Rockets to win for the 13th time in 15 games.
"That was one of our better games of the year," Joakim Noah said. "That was a good feeling going back to the locker room after that game. So hopefully we get that feeling again in that locker room in Houston."
That the Bulls have gone 5-9 since is more troubling to Noah than not facing Dwight Howard, who is almost certain to sit Wednesday's game with lingering right knee issues.
"He's definitely their anchor down there," Noah said. "He's definitely a load on both ends of the floor. But if he's not playing, they've got other players that are very capable as well. So we've got to be ready."
Indeed, Harden leads the NBA in scoring. Coach Tom Thibodeau said the guard is playing at "an MVP level."
"He's as hard to guard as anyone in the league," Thibodeau said. "They push the ball and shoot a lot of 3-pointers. You've got to get back, get set and challenge shots. They will keep coming at you. There will be 30-some 3-point shots. We know we're going to be tested."
The Rockets will continue one theme of this six-game trip -- the Bulls facing high-scoring offenses. And transition defense has been an issue with the Warriors and Suns combining for 54 fast-break points.
"It's pretty obvious when you look at the numbers," Noah said. "There's no lying. Transition defense has definitely been a problem, but we're more than capable."
Walking wounded: Mike Dunleavy is moving fine laterally but still experiencing pain when he runs straight ahead. He skipped practice and hasn't played since jamming ligaments in his right ankle Jan. 1.
"He's a big part of this team," Noah said. "He understands team defense very well and spaces the floor, something we really need."
