Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Joakim Noah fell just shy of a triple-double 
but  nonetheless helped the Chicago Bulls to a thorough 94-82 victory over the 
Boston Celtics on Thursday. 

"He  is a guy  who always makes his teammates better," Celtics head coach Brad 
Stevens said of Noah. "He is just a good all-around player." 

Noah  totaled 17  points, 11 rebounds and nine assists while Carlos Boozer and 
Luol  Deng chipped  in with 16 and 14 points, respectively, for Chicago, which 
never  trailed in the second half and picked up its fourth win in the last six 
games. 

Boston fell for the fifth time in six games despite Jordan Crawford pouring in 
a  game-high 22 points and handing out seven assists. Jared Sullinger added 11 
points and 11 boards in the setback. 

There  were  12 lead  changes in  the first  half, and  the largest margin for 
either team was just six points. 

Chicago,  which led 48-45 at the break, changed the back-and-forth affair with 
a  strong  defensive third quarter. Boston  scored just 17 points in the frame 
and trailed by as many as 10 after Noah scored off an offensive rebound to put 
the Bulls on top, 61-51, near the midway point. 

The  Celtics pulled within four late in the third, but Chicago went on an 11-0 
run  that  stretched into the  fourth. Mike  Dunleavy's 3-pointer early in the 
final  stanza stretched  the Bulls' advantage to 77-62, and the closest Boston 
got from there was 10. 

"We  have  to give  everything we have  every night. We  can't take any nights 
off," Noah said. 

                                   Game Notes 

The  Celtics are just  1-7 in their last eight trips to Chicago ... Taj Gibson 
and  Dunleavy donated  12 and 11 points, respectively, off Chicago's bench ... 
Boston committed 20 turnovers and shot just 39.5 percent from the field.