Bulls Battle 76ers In Philly
(WSCR) - The Central Division-leading Chicago Bulls have been one of the best teams in the league when playing at home. But on the road they have a .500 record. They're hoping tonight's game against the 76ers starts to change that road trend.
The Bulls are also hoping to avoid further controversy after their big-name free agent acquisition was benched in a disappointing loss.
The Philadelphia 76ers, meanwhile, are coming off a more positive result - and starting to think about the postseason.
The Sixers will try to avenge their worst loss of the season when they host the Bulls on Friday night.
Chicago (23-11) is coming off a last-second 96-94 loss at New Jersey on Wednesday night as Carlos Boozer, who signed a five-year, $75-million deal in the offseason, was benched for the last 14 minutes.
"Yeah, we were surprised (Boozer didn't come back in)," point guard Derrick Rose, who recorded a season-low one assist, told the Bulls' official website. "But we're not going to try to coach. We're going to do our jobs and that's to play. We're going to leave the subbing up to (coach Tom Thibodeau)."
After getting outscored 32-18 in the third quarter, the Bulls trailed by 13 heading into the final 12 minutes, and despite Boozer's absence, they tied the score late in the game.
However, Sasha Vujacic's layup with 5.3 seconds remaining put the Nets ahead and Rose missed a 3-pointer as the Bulls' five-game winning streak came to an end.
Boozer is expected to remain in the starting lineup as Chicago looks to begin a new streak. The power forward has recorded four straight double-doubles against the 76ers - including 16 points and 11 rebounds in a 121-76 win Dec. 21.
He had 12 points, nine boards and five assists before Thibodeau opted to go with a smaller lineup down the stretch Wednesday.
"You've got to talk to (Thibodeau) about that," Boozer said. "That was a coaching decision."
The 76ers (14-21) are feeling better after improving to 11-8 in their last 19 games by defeating Washington 109-97 on Wednesday night. After a 3-13 start, they seem to have discovered a newfound confidence, which has pushed them into eighth place in the Eastern Conference.
"We're thinking about (the playoffs)," forward Thaddeus Young said. "We've got to go out there and compete every game and make sure we seal up a spot."
Jrue Holiday scored 26 points in Wednesday's win, and since recording nine points versus the Bulls last month, is averaging 20.3 on 54.8 percent shooting over his last seven contests.
"This is one of the better rhythms that we've been in with this group," said Lou Williams, who also had 26 points versus Washington. "We want to continue to ride that wave and continue to play good basketball. Just bottle it up."
Philadelphia has been without Andre Iguodala for the last five games as he continues to deal with tendinitis in his right Achilles'. Iguodala, averaging 21.1 points in his last eight meetings with Chicago, is not expected to face the Bulls.
The 76ers have clamped down on defense at home, where they are allowing 91.9 points per game - among the best in the NBA. They're hoping to come out with a better effort at that end after allowing the Bulls to shoot 64.5 percent last month.
"It was a good, old-fashioned butt kicking," Elton Brand said after that game. "They did whatever they wanted. They scored on eight of their first 11 plays and we couldn't come back. They scored at will."
Chicago has taken five of six from the 76ers, outscoring them by an average of 22.2 points in the victories.
Philadelphia, though, has won eight of its last 10 at the Wells Fargo Center.
Copyright 2010 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press. STATS LLC and The Associated Press contributed to this article. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and The Associated Press is strictly prohibited.
