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. Los Angeles Angels Jerseys . -- Officials have approved a deal to build a new $672 million stadium for the Atlanta Braves away from the downtown Atlanta area that has traditionally been its home. Huston Street Jersey . A fully booked flight forced me to leave two hours later. After a nice meal in which I studied the stats of the Argo win, I prepared to leave the restaurant. As I was gathering my things to leave many large individuals began to walk up and wait for tables. http://www.angelsteamshop.com/Angels-Alb...ls-Kids-Jersey/. Terms of the contract were not disclosed by the club. Clemons spent his first five NFL seasons with the Miami Dolphins, who selected him in the fifth round of the 2009 draft out of Clemson. Reggie Jackson Jersey .5 million contract, according to a person familiar with the deal. Hatcher agreed to terms Thursday, according to a person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract had not been signed. Rod Carew Jersey . -- Jerome Williams glanced at Philadelphias schedule and realized he would be facing the Oakland Athletics yet again, with another new team.PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Houston Astros owner Jim Crane said he will meet with Palm Beach County officials Thursday to discuss potential sites for a new spring training facility. The Astros and Toronto Blue Jays appeared to have a deal in place to build a complex in Palm Beach Gardens, but that fell through in January after complaints from nearby residents. "Were still looking hard," said Crane, who toured Tradition Field, the Mets spring training home, before the Astros-Mets game Tuesday. "We have (20)15 and 16 still left on our contract (at Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee), so weve got to be able to do something, hopefully by 17, if were going to do something. We probably have to have a deal signed by the end of this year to make sure we have enough time to get something built." He said he believed county offficials had three other proposed sites.ddddddddddddCounty Commissioner Hal Valeche said Tuesday his staff had not given him a list of possible sites and hoped there would be more than three viable locations for a two-team facility. While the Washington Nationals have emerged as a likely partner with the Astros, Crane said the Blue Jays cannot be ruled out. Crane also said the Astros are still looking into sites in Arizona and could renew the lease in Kissimmee, with the condition that upgrades are made. "I think in the next six months we need to get something signed if were going to make a move," he said. "Certainly, they would like us to stay there and there could be some upgrades there, if thats where we end up. Were still looking into Arizona. All the doors are open, we hope one of them shuts." 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