|
 They needed every one of them.
Mike Dunleavy scored a season-high 27 points, including 12 in the
pivotal third quarter, as the Bulls held off the winless
Philadelphia 76ers 118-115.
Guard/forward Jimmy Butler added 23 points for Chicago (5-1), which
was without Rose for the third time in four games because of sprains
to both ankles. The Bulls have nonetheless won four straight, and
they defeated the Sixers for the 10th time in the teams' last 11
meetings.
Chicago, which received a 17-point, 12-rebound contribution from
center/forward Pau Gasol, is 4-0 on the road for the first time
since winning its first six away from home in 1996-97.
"We've got some weapons, for sure," Dunleavy said. "That's not
really an issue right now, but the other end has been, somewhat."
The Bulls, who before Friday had limited opponents to 40.1-percent
shooting, best in the NBA, allowed Philadelphia to shoot 47.3
percent from the field and score its most points to date. It was
also the highest-point total by a Bulls opponent this season.
 Sixers guard Tony Wroten and guard/forward Hollis Thompson finished
with respective totals of 31 and 21 points, both career highs, and
the Sixers cut an 18-point deficit to one in the closing seconds.
"You kind of fall into a trap," Dunleavy said. "You're scoring
easily and next thing you know, it's kind of like a shootout.
Tonight was hopefully just an outlier for our defensive performance
this season."
Forward Luc Mbah a Moute added 16 points and 11 rebounds for
Philadelphia, which is 0-6 for the first time since dropping its
first 15 en route to a 9-73 finish in 1972-73. That is the worst
full-season record in NBA history.
The Sixers had just nine players in uniform because of injuries.
Center Nerlens Noel (ankle) and forward Malcolm Thomas (knee) were
unavailable, and guard Michael Carter-Williams has yet to play this
season after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery.
Wroten scored 10 points in the fourth quarter when the Sixers, down
94-76 just 44 seconds into the period, staged a furious rally. A
3-pointer by Chris Johnson with five seconds left cut the gap to
116-115.
Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich nailed two free throws with 2.1 seconds to
play, and Johnson missed a desperation 3-point attempt from midcourt
at the buzzer.
 "I'm not surprised," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said of the comeback.
"If you're in this league, you're a great player. I know you (media)
guys chalk the games before they're played. I don't. ... You've got
to play 48 minutes against them. Wroten's a load. He's hard to
guard. They have some good players. ... They keep coming at you."
In all, Philadelphia outscored the Bulls 39-26 in the fourth
quarter, the Sixers' highest-scoring quarter of the season. Before
Friday, Philadelphia was averaging 14.2 points in the fourth quarter
this season.
[to top of second column] |
"We ask our guys often: 'What would you want other teams to say
about you?' " coach Brett Brown said. "We want respect. We want to
work hard. We want to have a tenacity and a spirit that reflects the
city and reflects a bunch of young guys."
The score was tied 57-57 at halftime, but Dunleavy, a veteran
guard/forward, made 4 of 6 shots from the field, including 3 of 4
from 3-point range in the third quarter, when Chicago outscored
Philadelphia 35-19 to move in front 92-76.
Dunleavy, who began the night averaging 8.4 points on 39.4 percent
shooting from the field, finished 9 of 15 from the floor, including
5 of 8 from behind the arc.
The Bulls rushed to a 33-28 lead after one quarter behind Butler,
who registered 13 points in the quarter, but the Sixers went on a
16-4 run early in the second quarter to go ahead 49-40. Sims had six
points, including two putbacks, during the binge.
Down 52-44, Chicago scored 13 of the last 18 points in the half,
five by Dunleavy, to forge a 57-57 tie at the break.
Wroten had 14 points at the half and Sims added 13. Butler scored 15
and Dunleavy added 12 for the Bulls.
NOTES: Chicago C Joakim Noah returned after missing the two previous
games with flu-like symptoms. He finished with five points and nine
rebounds in nearly 31 minutes of action. ... Sixers rookie C Joel
Embiid returned to the team after traveling to his native Cameroon
three weeks ago following the death of 13-year-old brother Arthur in
an accident. Embiid, recovering from foot surgery, has yet to
practice or play with the team and was not made available to
reporters before the game. ... Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau is
uncertain as to whether G Derrick Rose will be available for
Saturday's home game against Boston. "We'll see tomorrow," Thibodeau
said. "We'll see where he is. If he can go, I think he has to go. If
he can't, then he doesn't. It's really that simple. The only way
he's going to shake the rust off is by getting out there and
playing."
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
