Bulls hanging tough

Despite that hiccup on Dec. 22 (an inexcusable loss at the New York Knicks), the Chicago Bulls have been keeping a strong December going. After Friday night’s 107-97 win at Toronto, the Bulls are now 13-3 in December heading into Saturday’s home game against Cleveland.

The Bulls are now 18-12 on the year, tied with the Cavaliers for second place in the Central Division.

Luol Deng showed no ill effects from his sprained wrist, suffered in Wednesday’s win over Miami. Deng scored a game-high 25 points as the Bulls beat the Raptors for the 15th consecutive time. Deng was 11 of 16 from the floor.

It was also a big win because it came away from the United Center. Chicago is just 5-10 on the road this year and had lost its last three - including that terrible loss to the awful Knicks.

As the Bulls head into the new year, they have put themselves in good position for a run at the playoffs. In the Eastern Conference - the NFC of the NBA - finishing the season over .500 should be good enough for a playoff berth. Finishing 10-16 games over .500 should earn home court advantage in the early rounds.

After Saturday’s game, Chicago is off until Tuesday when it hosts Pacific Division leading Phoenix, which recently had a 15-game winning streak snapped. The Bulls have several key games in January, including Jan. 6 (hosting Central Division leading Detroit), Jan. 15 (hosting San Antonio), Jan. 20 (hosting Northwest Division leading Utah) and Jan. 25 (hosting Southwest Division leading Dallas). That’s a home schedule worth checking out.

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