The Bulls are on a roll thanks to Derrick Rose
MVP-candidate Derrick Rose has led Chicago to the top of the Eastern Conference standings. Reuters

There is probably no NBA player that has a bigger spring in his step right now than Chicago Bulls' star Derrick Rose.

The third-year guard looks like the big kid on the playground, who really should be playing with the older kids. He's been jumping through the roof, scoring at will, and creating for his teammates.

Most importantly, he has the Windy City energized with a winning basketball team.

Tonight, the Bulls travel to Atlanta to play the Hawks, who beat the Bulls on March 2nd at Philips Arena in their first meeting, 83-80. In that game, the Hawks held Rose to five-of-21 shooting, while big man Al Horford scored 31 points and grabbed 16 rebounds.

When the two teams played on March 11th at the United Center, Rose lit the Hawks up for 34 points, six rebounds, and five assists. Even without Carlos Boozer, the Bulls out-rebounded the Hawks 50-28, in a 94-76 victory.

Tonight, the Hawks will try to salvage a month of basketball in which the club has dropped six of ten games. Atlanta is coming off a win against Detroit, where they shot nearly 58 percent from the field.

The Hawks currently have the fifth-best record in the East, and continue to play with a balanced scoring attack. However, this season has seen a bit of a drop off from in scoring producution from guards Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford.

Meanwhile, the Bulls are having an excellent March, and have won 15 of the their last 18. They've tied Boston for the best record in the Eastern Conference.

The Bulls recently had their eight-game winning streak snapped in overtime against Indiana, but followed that loss with a resounding victory over Sacramento.

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