CHICAGO -- Joakim Noah fell one assist short of his fourth career triple-double Thursday night, and the 6-foot-11 centre sounded almost embarrassed by his pursuit of that feat late in a rare comfortable home win by the Chicago Bulls. "Its not really good to play basketball that way," Noah said. "Focusing on your stats is not that cool, but I tried to get it." Following the Bulls 94-82 victory over the Boston Celtics, no one else in either locker room was about to criticize the focus on statistics at the end because Noahs playmaking ability was the main reason Chicago had a sizeable lead down the stretch in snapping a two-game home losing streak. He finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists to lead six Bulls scorers in double figures. "Noah is an all-around winning guy," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. "I coached against Noah as an assistant in college in the Sweet Sixteen. Hes a guy who makes his teammates better in all the different ways. He even made the plays that will never get on the stat sheet -- pulling over and helping, being long and forcing us to make another pass or forcing us to miss a shot. "All those things add up at the end of the game." They just didnt add up to 10 assists. Carlos Boozer had 16 points, Luol Deng 14, Taj Gibson 12, Mike Dunleavy 11 and Jimmy Butler 10 as the balanced Bulls bounced back from a loss to Toronto on Tuesday in the opener of their four-game homestand. Jordan Crawford led the Celtics, who have lost two straight, with 22 points. Noah had nine assists early in the fourth quarter, but couldnt get another. Butler missed a jumper with 8 seconds left in a last-second gasp. "We really wanted him to get the triple-double," Gibson said. "I told him if I was in the game, I would have gotten it for him." The Bulls (13-18) could afford to laugh for a change. Their early-season troubles can be tied directly to their inability to win consistently at the United Center. The Bulls had dropped six of seven home games to fall to 7-7 at the United Center this season. Worse, five of the six losses came against teams with losing records at the time of the game. That stretch began two days after Chicago scored a 20-point home win against defending champion Miami. The Bulls also have a 16-point home win against Indiana, the club with the best record in the Eastern Conference. Even without star guard Derrick Rose, this team expects to win consistently at home. "We have to turn it around," Noah said. "To do that, everybody has to go in and give everything they have. We cant take any nights off. You cant play at 70 per cent, you cant play at 80 per cent. Youve got to give everything youve got every night." To help avoid the prolonged offensive droughts that have plagued his team in the past, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau decided to use Noah as more of a playmaker. "We have always run a lot of the offence through him, and thats what makes us a little different," Thibodeau said. Chicago moved ahead of the Celtics for eighth place in the Eastern Conference despite being five games under .500. "Theyve had their struggles, but thats not a 13-18 team," Stevens said. "As they get fully healthy, theyll continue to have success because they execute on both ends of the floor as well as anybody in the league. That being said, their offence is going to find itself, the shooting will find itself. It did a little bit tonight." NOTES: Celtics G Rajon Rondo, sidelined nearly a year since tearing his ACL, said before the game he is likely to play a stint in the D-League before returning. "I think thats what its for," he said. "Id probably be the first guy to do that, but it doesnt make a difference. I want to make sure Im healthy and handle it the right way. I havent had a preseason. I havent had a training camp." There is no timetable for Rondos return. ... The Bulls had a full complement of players -- other than Rose, who is out for the season -- for a second straight game after playing short-handed for virtually all of December. "The challenge is how quickly we can adapt to the moving parts," Thibodeau said. ... The Celtics, who have a home game Friday against New Orleans, had to stay in Chicago on Thursday night because of the weather. Case Keenum Broncos Jersey . -- Zach Johnson is like most players at the World Challenge, not sure whether hes still playing in 2013 or if hes in the middle of the new wraparound season that officially started in October. Jared Veldheer Jersey . -- So much for concern that running back Marshawn Lynch would be absent from the Seattle Seahawks minicamp. http://www.authenticshopbroncos.com/bron...vy-blue-jersey/. Hes even holding a bat on one of his 2014 baseball cards. So far, hes playing like his picture. Tramaine Brock Jersey .J. -- The New York Jets have promoted Tony Sparano Jr. Tramaine Brock Broncos Jersey . Rinehart joins safety Darrell Stuckey and linebacker Donald Butler as potential unrestricted free agents who are remaining with the team.NASHVILLE -- Nashville Predators forward Mike Fisher has a ruptured Achilles tendon that likely will cause him to miss at least the start of the upcoming season. In a statement released by the team Monday, Predators general manager David Poile said Fisher underwent surgery Thursday after rupturing the tendon during a training session. "We expect Mike to make a full recovery in four to six months, and look forward to his return to the ice," Poile said. The Predators open the season Oct. 9 against Ottawa. Fisher, 34, served as Nashvilles alternate captain last season and had 20 goals and 29 assists in 75 games. He has 226 goals and 255 assists in 887 career regular-season games. Fisher tweeted, "Setbacks are opportunities for growth," on Monday and included a picture of his bandaged lower leg in a walking boot. The injury seriously hinders Nashvilles plans to boost its offence under new coach Peter Laviolette. After missing the playoffs for a second straight season, Poilee fired coach Barry Trotz and replaced him with Laviolette, emphasizing the need to add more scoring punch to a franchise that traditionally has prided itself on defence.dddddddddddd The Predators have spent much of the off-season attempting to boost that offence. They acquired forward James Neal from the Pittsburgh Penguins and signed free-agent centre Olli Jokinen to a one-year, $2.5 million contract. But the Predators would suffer a major blow if they have to spend much of the season without Fisher, one of the teams top offensive threats since coming to Nashville in a 2011 trade with the Ottawa Senators. Mondays news continues the Predators recent run of bad luck with injuries to key players. Star goaltender Pekka Rinne played just 24 games last season because of an E. coli infection in his surgically repaired left hip. Rinnes injury may have cost the Predators a playoff berth, as they finished the season three points out of eighth place in the Western Conference. Cheap Jerseys China NFL Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Wholesale Discount Basketball Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic Cheap Baseball Jerseys Free Shipping Cheapest College Jerseys Sale Cheap Football Jerseys China Nike NFL Jerseys Canada Wholesale NHL Jerseys From China MLB Jerseys Outlet Canada Wholesale NBA Jerseys Canada Store Cheap Soccer Jerseys China Cheap Authentic Jerseys Canada ' ' '