CHICAGO -- Derrick Rose realizes there are bigger goals out there for the Chicago Bulls, so getting in position to grab the Eastern Conference lead from Boston isn't an end in itself.
"If us winning games puts us ahead of them, that'll be great, but our thing is trying to keep this thing going," Rose said.
Right now, the going is good.
Rose came on strong after a slow start to finish with 34 points, and Chicago ran away with its 12th win in 14 games, beating the struggling Atlanta Hawks 94-76 on Friday.
The Bulls prevailed on a night when Carlos Boozer sat out with a sprained left ankle thanks to a strong third quarter. Leading the way was Rose with 18 points in the period as the Bulls outscored Atlanta 24-10 to turn a two-point halftime deficit into a 72-60 lead, and Chicago pulled within a half game of Eastern Conference leader Boston.
Luol Deng added 18 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and three steals. And he again drew high praise from coach Tom Thibodeau, who said, "He's the glue to the team."
Deng's reaction?
"Coach saying that really means a lot to me," he said.
Limited by injuries in recent seasons, Deng has played in all 64 games this year.
That run was in jeopardy after he suffered a bruised left thigh while take a knee from Charlotte's Gerald Henderson on Wednesday. The Bulls won that game to clinch the Central division, but it was a costly victory.
Besides Deng's bruise, Boozer limped off the court after an awkward landing on a late flagrant foul by Kwame Brown and he remains day to day. Thibodeau started Kurt Thomas instead of Taj Gibson in his place to keep an effective second unit intact, and the veteran grabbed 13 rebounds while helping contain Al Horford (six points) in his first appearance since Feb. 23.
Joakim Noah had 11 rebounds and Chicago outrebounded the Hawks 50-28 while sending Atlanta to its fourth straight loss.
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