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CHICAGO -- Neither team is very healthy right now, but the Chicago Bulls might have benefited more than the Brooklyn Nets from an extra day between Games 5 and 6.

The teams got a second day of rest having played Game 5 on Monday at Brooklyn and with Game 6 on Thursday night at Chicago.

Had Game 6 been on Wednesday night, the Bulls might have been weakened since both Taj Gibson and Luol Deng sat out of practice Wednesday with a flu bug. The Bulls are also trying to get Kirk Hinrich (calf) back on the court after he missed Game 5, while Joakim Noah deals with his plantar fasciitis.

The Nets have Joe Johnson still operating at well under 100 percent with his own plantar fasciitis, while Andray Blatche has a sore calf.

"It helped both of us," interim coach P.J. Carlesimo said of the extra day off. "I think two weeks would be nice for both teams in trying to get guys healthy. Having two off is big and if somehow we can get it done tonight that's going to be a big challenge for the next one."

If there is a Game 7 it would will be after just one day off and take place on Saturday at Brooklyn.

"That's playoffs, and more so the deeper you get in, you get to Games 5, 6 and 7 you usually get the quick turnarounds and unfortunately that's the payback for the series lasting that long," Carlesimo said. "That's just the way it goes."

As for the Bulls' health affecting the Nets, Reggie Evans wasn't going to waste any brain power on it.

"That's their problem," he said about Deng and Gibson feeling under the weather.

As for whether or not Hinrich plays?

"I won't care if he played or he didn't play," Evans said. "That's not my issue. All I can do is worry about my squad. I can't worry about who they have dressing out or not dressing out."

DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Chicago Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich, still hampered by a bruised left calf, is "likely out" of Game 6 of their first-round playoff series against the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday, coach Tom Thibodeau said.

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Steve Kerr said Monday he thinks Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose "owes it to his teammates" to play if the only obstacle is confidence as the banged-up Bulls take on the Brooklyn Nets in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.

The one-year anniversary of Rose tearing his left ACL passed Sunday. He underwent surgery on May 12 and the prognosis for recovery was 8-12 months. ESPN Chicago reported on March 9 that Rose had been medically cleared to play and he has been scrimmaging five-on-five since Feb. 19. Indications are Rose has regained his explosiveness and has looked dominant in practice, but he still hasn't played this season and has said it's a matter of regaining his confidence. He said he's not certain when he'll return.

"I think the Bulls have handled it the right way," Kerr said on "The Carmen & Jurko Show" on ESPN 1000. "Err on the side of caution, tell him, 'Hey look, when you're ready, you come back.'

"But I wouldn't hesitate to go to him today and say, 'Here's the deal. We're not going to say anything publicly. But we need you. Kirk (Hinrich) is out. We need 25 minutes. We've seen you. We've cleared you two months ago. If you're not comfortable, then that's fine, and we won't mention one word. We'll continue to go the path we've gone. But we need you.'"

The criticism of Rose has escalated as he's watched Hinrich (calf) and Joakim Noah (plantar fasciitis) fight through injuries to put the Bulls up 3-1. Hinrich has been ruled out for Game 5 on Monday in Brooklyn. Kerr, who won three of his four titles with the Bulls and is a former Phoenix Suns general manager, will work Game 5 as a TNT analyst.

"And to me, I think Derrick owes it to his teammates at this stage," Kerr said. "And again, I've been Derrick's biggest supporter on this. I've been saying all along, up until two days ago, I've been saying, 'He should not play if he's not comfortable.'

"But if this is just about not being fully confident, you've got to go out there. If this is about, 'Hey, it doesn't feel right and I'm worried I can hurt it,' then no way should he play. But if this is just about, 'You know gosh, I'm just not quite confident yet.' I would appeal to him and say, 'Can you give us 20 minutes.' And if you're Derrick, you've been watching Noah and Hinrich play on one leg this whole series, at what point do you start to feel sort of self-conscious and guilty about what's unfolding?"

Rose has said he feels no pressure to return. He also said he would return during the playoffs if he felt ready, and coach Tom Thibodeau has not shut the door on that possibility.

"It could be tomorrow and I feel like I could play the next game," Rose said on March 21. "Nobody knows but God."

Up until Saturday, when Hinrich and Noah played through their injuries to help the Bulls win in triple-overtime, Kerr had been steadfast that Rose should come back only when he's comfortable.

"It's a really tricky situation," Kerr said. "I realize the whole world's eyes are on Derrick, the basketball world's eyes are on him. And he lives in a different realm than the rest of us, so there's a ton more pressure. But if this is just about the team, then I think he kind of owes it to these guys to get out there."

Kerr was asked whether he thinks the Bulls are asking themselves privately why Rose hasn't returned. The Bulls' front office has said it wants Rose to take as much time as he needs and Rose's teammates have been emphatic in defending him.

"I think there's so much respect for Derrick because of the type of character he has and the type of person he is, what he's meant to that franchise, and the Bulls players -- the Bulls have done such a great job of putting together a group of guys who really care and are committed to the team -- so they're not going to say anything," Kerr said. "But probably privately at some point, they're going to be like, 'Hey, you know, what's the deal? Let's go, we're trying to win here.'

"But again, let me reiterate, if there's any question in his own mind about being injured, then he should not go out there. But if it's just about, 'I'm not quite confident enough,' you know what, I'm sure Joakim's not confident in his foot and Kirk's not confident in his calf. And if that's all this is about, then it's time to get out there."

NEW YORK -- As the rest of his Chicago Bulls teammates got dressed and headed for the bus, Kirk Hinrich laid face down on a trainer's table in a side room as the Bulls medical staff did more work on his aching left calf. The pain and frustration on his face was palpable.

The veteran guard had expressed hope before Monday morning's shootaround that he may only have to miss one game, but his actions after Monday's game told a different story. As he dressed a few moments later and strapped on a walking boot, it looked and sounded very unlikely that he would be able to play in Thursday’s Game 6 unless a dramatic change of events occurred.

The impact Hinrich has on the game was not lost on his teammates after the Bulls' 19-point loss in Game 5. They know how much of a presence he has on and off the floor and they know they're in a bind without him.

"He's our captain," Bulls guard Nate Robinson said. "That's like Tom Brady going down and somebody has to come in and fill in for him. At the same time, you got to be ready. And I know our guys, all of us collectively, we're always ready to pick up somebody when they're down. So if Kirk plays or if he doesn't play we got to be ready regardless."

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NEW YORK -- The Chicago Bulls lost Game 5 – but you can’t blame the replacements.

With Derrick Rose continuing to sit, and fellow starting guard Kirk Hinrich joining him on the sideline with a calf injury, coach Tom Thibodeau gave Nate Robinson a starting nod on Monday, along with second-year man Jimmy Butler.

Both played well, keeping the Bulls within striking distance until the final four minutes, when the Nets pulled away for a 110-91 victory.

Robinson scored a team-high 20 points, shooting 9-for-19 from the field, and also had eight assists. Butler scored 18 points, and had four steals as well.

Thibodeau said that rebounding was the difference in the game. The Nets outboarded the Bulls 44-33, including 17-11 on the offensive glass, and had a 24-12 advantage in second-chance points.

“Right from the start of the game I knew [the Nets] were reacting to the ball quicker than we were,” Thibodeau said. “So I was concerned about that right from the beginning. And it never changed.”

Robinson received the loudest boos of any of Chicago’s five starters during the pregame introductions -- not surprising, considering he sparked the Bulls’ incredible comeback in Game 4 with an electrifying 34-point performance, including 23 points in the fourth quarter.

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The Brooklyn Nets won Game 5 by the same formula that worked for them in their series-opening win against the Chicago Bulls.

Let’s take a closer look at how the Nets staved off elimination.

Key Player: Deron Williams had it much easier vs Nate Robinson
With Kirk Hinrich out of the lineup in Game 5, Nate Robinson drew the start and was the primary defender on Deron Williams. Williams was 6-for-10 shooting and scored 19 of his 23 points when guarded by Robinson in Game 4.

Williams shot 33.3% (13 of 39) when guarded by Hinrich the first four games of the series.

Williams joins Jason Kidd as the only Nets player in last 25 seasons with multiple 20-point, 10-rebound games in single postseason.

The Bulls are 41-23 when Hinrich plays this season and 7-16 when he doesn’t.

When Nets score in paint, they win
The Nets scored 54 points in the paint in Game 5 and have now eclipsed 50 paint points in both of their wins against the Bulls this series. They’ve shot 67 percent in the paint in these two games

In the three losses, the Nets have averaged 36.7 paint points in regulation time and shot 51 percent in the paint for the game

By the Brook
Brook Lopez finished with a career playoff-high 28 points. He’s scored 20 points or more in all five games in this series, the longest streak by a Nets player since Vince Carter had eight straight 20-point games in 2007.

Key stat: Second-Chance Points
The Bulls allowed 24 second-chance points to the Nets in Game 5. That’s the most second-chance points allowed by the Bulls in a game this season.

Keep this in mind as the Bulls head home
The Bulls have never been forced to a Game 7 in the dozen previous instances in which they led a best-of-7 series by a 3-1 margin. They won in five games eight times and won in six games the four other occasions.

The Bulls loss did keep this stat intact: They have not won four straight games (or lost four straight) at any point this season.

NEW YORK -- Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau's worst fears were realized as he watched his team get outworked on the boards during Monday night's 110-91 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Instead of playing like a team that was fighting for its playoff life, the Bulls played like a team that knew it had a cushion. The Bulls got away from the hard-nosed attack they've shown throughout the season and replaced it with an inconsistent effort that made the veteran coach furious at several points.

"I feel like we made a lot of mental mistakes," Bulls swingman Jimmy Butler said. "We didn't get to all the loose balls, we didn't rebound, we didn't execute and on the defensive end we just made mistakes that we normally don't make because we got away from ourselves. It's very correctable. We know what we have to do for the next game."

The attitude is admirable, especially considering the Bulls were playing without defensive leader, and captain, Kirk Hinrich, but why in the biggest game of the season to date did the Bulls decide to play differently? The mental approach that has been so sharp for the Bulls went missing at the wrong time.

"We got a lot of banged-up guys but it's still frustrating to know that you had a chance to close it out tonight," Bulls forward Taj Gibson said. "When you look at it, we really played like a team that was really comfortable with just being (up) 3-1, instead of just putting our foot on their neck and winning the game. We just got to watch some film and regroup and grind on the next one."

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NEW YORK -- Let's take a quick look at how the Brooklyn Nets earned a 110-91 win over the Chicago Bulls on Monday night at the Barclays Center in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. The Bulls lead the series 3-2.

How it happened: Brook Lopez paced the Nets with 28 points and 10 rebounds while Deron Williams added 21 points and dished out 10 assists to push the series back to Chicago. Nate Robinson led the Bulls with 20 points and eight assists, but for the second straight game Tom Thibodeau's defense did not hold up well. The Nets made more plays down the stretch and also made stops when they had to do so.

What it means: The Bulls' defense was not solid but the bigger issue for Thibodeau heading into Game 6 is trying to get Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng going again. The veteran pair managed just 22 points and must be more assertive on offense. The Bulls also must do a better job of containing Williams. Without Kirk Hinrich on the floor, Williams has a little more room to roam and get his teammates involved. Hinrich also provided a steady presence on offense and helped get his teammates good looks. If the Bulls have to play Thursday without Hinrich again, they must keep Williams in check and do a better job on Lopez down on the blocks. Those two players were the major difference in this game. Now the pressure will be on Thibodeau & Co. to end this one at home and not have to face a potential Game 7 back in Brooklyn.

Hits: Jimmy Butler had a solid performance with 18 points and four steals. His defense will be needed to close out this series.

Misses: According to Bulls statistician Jeff Mangurten, Deng is now 1-for-18 from behind the 3-point line in this series.

Stat of the night: The Nets outrebounded the Bulls 44-33. Brooklyn had 17 offensive rebounds.

What's next: Game 6 is Thursday night at the United Center. Tipoff is 7 p.m. CT.

NEW YORK -- The Chicago Bulls will try to close out their series against the Brooklyn Nets without guard Kirk Hinrich, who will miss Game 5 on Monday because of a bruised left calf.

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CHICAGO -- In the midst of delivering high praise for Nate Robinson's epic performance Saturday afternoon, Carlos Boozer made a point to remember one of his Chicago Bulls teammates who usually gets lost in the shuffle of more important performances.

"Don't underestimate the game that Kirk Hinrich played tonight, man," Boozer said. "Kirk Hinrich did a hell of a job. Obviously he was guarding their best player in D-Will, playing 60 minutes or whatever he played tonight, he played the whole game it seemed like. Scored the ball for us when he had to, he got everybody involved when he had to, played amazing defense. Don't underestimate what Kirk Hinrich did tonight."

Boozer’s right. While Robinson's performance will get the headlines for the Bulls' 142-134 overtime win over the Brooklyn Nets in Game 4, and deservedly so, Hinrich's performance was almost as important. The veteran guard played almost 60 minutes, scoring 18 points and dishing out 14 assists in the memorable win. More importantly, Hinrich continued to frustrate Nets guard Deron Williams and set an early tone for his teammates. Williams would end up scoring 32 points, but Hinrich stayed in his face all day and stuck to his guns late as Williams managed just two points in the three overtimes.

"It was grueling," Hinrich admitted. "Just a total team effort tonight. It was just one of those things, we were having trouble stopping them, they were having trouble stopping us, and it ends up three overtimes later we finally get a winner."

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CHICAGO -- Joakim Noah's foot still hurts.

The emotion that comes from a thrilling triple overtime win isn't enough to make the aching in Noah’s right foot go away, but in the midst of an all-time playoff classic he managed to push away the discomfort he’s been dealing with for the last few months. The big man was only supposed to play about 30 minutes in Game 4, a 142-134 Chicago Bulls' win over the Brooklyn Nets, but as the epic contest played out it was clear that Noah would exceed the minutes limit that Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau had hoped to keep him within.

Noah ground his way to 15 points and 13 rebounds in 40 minutes in a performance that earned him a standing ovation after it was over.

"I don't think I have any minute limit right now," he said softly after the game.

Noah admitted that he did speak to the Bulls' medical staff as the game kept going and played coy when asked if he talked about his minutes limit with Thibodeau as things played out. Yet again, Noah found a way to impact the affair with an energy that continues to inspire his teammates and coaches.

"He’s doing it on will," Thibodeau said of Noah. "He hasn’t practiced, he’s feeling a little better. He was actually in the practice facility last night shooting. that’s usually a good sign. Haven’t seen that in a while."

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CHICAGO -- Late in this hard-fought playoff game, with the Chicago Bulls on his back and Tom Thibodeau’s breath on his neck, Nate Robinson couldn’t cool down.

If you’ve ever wondered what goes on between Robinson’s ears when he plays his special brand of basketball, just think of the announcer’s voice on NBA Jam.

“I always think I’m on fire,” he said after scoring 34 points in the Bulls’ wild 142-134, triple-overtime victory over the Brooklyn Nets. “Like the old school game, NBA Jam, you make a couple and the rim’s on fire and when you shoot the ball, the ball’s on fire. I feel like that at times. Well, all the time. When I’m in the game, I play with a lot of confidence and you kind of got to lie to yourself that you can’t miss.”

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Flip Saunders breaks down a critical mistake by the Nets in the fourth quarter that changed the momentum in the Bulls' 3OT win.

The Brooklyn Nets looked to be on their way to evening this series, with a 14-point lead late in the fourth quarter. But an epic comeback powered by Nate Robinson, thwarted the Nets efforts and made for a remarkable victory for the Chicago Bulls.

The Bulls now hold a commanding 3-games-to-1 series lead in the series. Let’s delve into the statistical recap.

A long game’s journey into night
This was the seventh playoff game in NBA history that went at least triple-overtime. Only one playoff game went quadruple overtime, a game between the Boston Celtics and Syracuse Nationals in 1953.

The game went long enough that all 10 starting players scored at least 15 points. The Elias Sports Bureau notes that since starts were tracked in 197y0-71, this was only the second playoff game in which that happened. The other instance was in 1987 in a double-overtime game between the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks,


The Bulls scored a team record 142 points, the most by any team in a playoff game since 1992, when the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Phoenix Suns, 153-151 in the highest combined scoring playoff game in NBA history.

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CHICAGO -- Let's take a quick look at how the Chicago Bulls pulled out an unbelievable 142-134 victory in triple overtime over the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday afternoon at the United Center in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. The Bulls lead the series 3-1.

How it happened: The Bulls trailed by 14 points with less than three minutes left in regulation. That's when Nate Robinson decided to take over. Robinson put the Bulls on his back and lifted them into the first overtime by going on a personal 12-0 run and then making a crucial pass to Carlos Boozer to tie the game. The Bulls gutted it out the rest of the way, getting huge contributions from Joakim Noah, Kirk Hinrich and Luol Deng, among others. Robinson finished with 34 points in just 29 minutes before fouling out. Noah, who was supposed to play only about 30 minutes because of his plantar fasciitis, played 39 minutes, scoring 15 points and pulling down 13 rebounds. Deron Williams finished with 32 points for the Nets, but it wasn't enough.

What it means: This win not only gives the Bulls a commanding lead, but it also gives them an enormous amount of confidence because of the way they performed. They grinded this game out and never gave up despite being down by double digits down the stretch. Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau has always talked about how he loves the mental toughness his team shows, and that was never more evident than on Saturday. The Bulls played with the type of never-give-up attitude that has been their hallmark over the past few years. Robinson's performance was memorable, Hinrich played great over 60 minutes, Boozer and Deng were solid, and Noah played better than even Thibodeau could have hoped. This is a game that will live in the annals of Bulls' playoff history.

Hits: The Bulls shot 53.2 percent from the field. The Nets shot 49.5 percent from the field.

Misses: The Nets turned the ball over 20 times and missed 16 free throws.

Stat of the night: Robinson had 23 points in the fourth quarter. The franchise record for a points in a quarter is 24 -- set by Michael Jordan.

What's next: The series heads back to Brooklyn for Game 5 on Monday night. Tipoff is at 6 p.m. CT.