The emotion that Bulls center Joakim Noah showed as he walked off the court victorious, hugging his mother before triumphantly marching down the tunnel, was gone by the time he sat down to discuss the game. He simply had no energy left to expend.

A few days after promising a Bulls victory in Game 7 in their first-round matchup with the Nets, Noah made sure his word was true by leading the Bulls to a 99-93 victory on Saturday. With his team hampered by injuries and forced to the brink of elimination, Noah took over offensively and defensively.

His final line was 24 points, 14 rebounds and 6 blocked shots. That he put up those numbers in a series in which he essentially played on one foot, as he worked his way through a plantar fasciitis injury to his heel, was even more impressive.

“He didn’t just have a good game,” Nets Coach P. J. Carlesimo said, “he had a magnificent game.”

Nets guard Deron Williams echoed the sentiment. “Noah is a warrior,” he said. “He battled through his injuries and had a monster game. We really had no answer for him down low tonight.”