Bulls drop Mavericks in Noah's return

The Chicago Bulls are getting back to playing winning basketball after a mystifying 2-6 slide that featured listless losses to the Utah Jazz and Orlando Magic. 

The Bulls rebounded Thursday with a 23-point thumping of the defending champion San Antonio Spurs, then followed that up with an arguably even more impressive showing Friday, knocking off the Dallas Mavericks 102-98 on the road, on the second night of a back-to-back. 

It helped that the Bulls are getting back to something resembling full strength, with Joakim Noah returning Friday from a four-game absence due to an ankle sprain. (Among rotation players, "only" Mike Dunleavy and Doug McDermott remain sidelined.)

Noah was limited to just 23 minutes and definitely showed a bit of rust, particularly at the offensive end, where he turned the ball over four times and scored just six points on 3-of-8 shooting. But he also contributed in all his typical workmanlike ways, collecting six huge offensive boards, blocking two shots and providing solid rim protection. 

Derrick Rose is also showing signs of rounding into form after a miserable shooting stretch to begin the new year. Rose had a team-high 20 points and knocked down 3-of-5 3-point attempts, a night after touching up the Spurs for 22.  

Dirk Nowitzki was lights-out for the Mavericks, pouring in 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting, but the rest of his team was hard-pressed to solve the Bulls' stifling defense. Outside of Nowitzki and Chandler Parsons, the Mavericks shot just 19-of-53.  

The Bulls better hope their recent run of health holds up, because things won't get any easier for them. They'll return home for a game against the Miami Heat on Sunday, but after that head out on a six-game West Coast road trip that includes stops in Golden State, Phoenix and Houston.