Hornets-Bulls Preview

By NOEY KUPCHAN
Posted Nov 03 2012 1:49AM

Though still very early, it appears the Chicago Bulls will be able to hold their own while Derrick Rose works his way back from injury.

With Eric Gordon already sidelined, the New Orleans Hornets could be in for a rough road ahead without Anthony Davis.

Looking to improve to 3-0 for the first time in 16 seasons, Chicago tries to extend its winning streak over injury-plagued New Orleans to nine games Saturday night at the United Center.

The Bulls (2-0) have outscored the Hornets (1-1) by an average of 11.1 points during their run in this series, limiting them to 39.4 percent from the field. Chicago, though, needed 32 points from Rose to pull out a 99-95 victory in the last matchup Feb. 28.

The Bulls, who lost Rose to a torn left ACL during Game 1 of a first-round playoff loss to Philadelphia last season, aren't certain when he'll be able to return. If its first two games are any indication, however, coach Tom Thibodeau's team figures to be OK without the 2010-11 league MVP.

After beating Sacramento 93-87 in Wednesday's season opener, Chicago cruised to a 115-86 win at Cleveland on Friday. Richard Hamilton and Carlos Boozer each scored 19 points for the Bulls, who took a 32-16 lead into the second quarter and never looked back.

"It was awesome. It felt good. Everyone was catching the ball in their sweet spots," said Hamilton, who also scored 19 against the Kings. "In the third quarter, I decided to get a little more aggressive. Some dude behind me called me Old Man River, so I had to show him how it's done."

The Bulls haven't won their first three games since opening a franchise-best 12-0 in 1996-97, when they claimed the fifth of their six championships.

The Hornets, meanwhile, escaped with their first win of the season Friday, 88-86 over Utah. After posting eight points and a career-high 13 assists during Wednesday's 99-95 loss to San Antonio, Greivis Vasquez finished with 13 and 10, respectively, and scored the game-winning basket with 1.3 seconds to go.

"He is playing tremendous and he has got his confidence back and we'll keep going back to him," forward Jason Smith said of Vasquez.

Friday's win, though, appears to have come at a cost. Davis took an inadvertent elbow to the temple in the second quarter and was diagnosed with a mild concussion.

The No. 1 overall selection in this year's draft, who scored 21 points against the Spurs, recorded eight, six rebounds and two blocks before exiting Friday. He will not accompany the team to Chicago and is listed as day to day.

The Hornets are also dealing with Gordon's absence. Gordon, who played in just nine games in 2011-12 and missed the entire preseason, has yet to take the court due to a right knee injury.

Coach Monty Williams would not confirm a report that Gordon would miss 4-to-6 weeks.

"I know things haven't been going as well as hoped," Gordon said. "It's tough as a player to go through these things. You're looking for the best from yourself, and you look forward to doing what is best for the team. As a player, I definitely look forward to helping this franchise and always look out for the best for this team. It has been very frustrating not to be able to play."

Bulls reserve Marco Belinelli, who spent the previous two seasons with New Orleans, faces his former team for the first time.

Without Davis, Hornets beat Bulls 89-82

By ANDREW SELIGMAN
Posted Nov 04 2012 12:08AM

CHICAGO (AP) It didn't matter to Robin Lopez or the rest of the Hornets that Anthony Davis was back in New Orleans.

They weren't dwelling on it. Instead, they were dealing with it.

Greivis Vasquez scored 18 points and the balanced Hornets beat the Chicago Bulls 89-82 on Saturday night even though they were missing the No. 1 draft pick.

"That's the big thing about a team game," Lopez said. "Everybody came together and everybody stepped it up."

Lopez and Jason Smith scored 16 apiece. Ryan Anderson added 12 points and 13 rebounds, and the Hornets hit 20 of 23 free throws to get the win even though Davis was nursing a mild concussion.

Luol Deng had 19 points and eight rebounds for Chicago. Nate Robinson scored 15, and Marco Belinelli added 13 against his former team, but the Bulls shot 33 percent in this one after hitting just under 64 percent of their shots the previous night in an easy win over Cleveland. It was a particularly rough night for Richard Hamilton and Carlos Boozer, who shot a combined 3 for 18 and each finished with four points after scoring 19 apiece against the Cavaliers.

The Hornets trailed by seven in the second quarter and led by 10 in the third but had to hang on down the stretch, with Robinson making it as tough as he could on them.

He scored all but four of his points in the fourth to help keep the Bulls in it, but they ultimately came up short.

His jumper with 1:16 left made it 81-77, and Chicago had a chance to make it a one-possession game after Taj Gibson blocked Smith. Instead, Belinelli missed a 3.

Smith hit two free throws with 53.5 seconds left. Roger Mason added two more to make it 85-77, and the Hornets prevailed because they didn't back down without their prized rookie.

"We don't get a lot of credit or notoriety for being a physical team, but that's something we've prided ourselves on since I've been here, was to play a physical style of basketball, legally," coach Monty Williams said. "I don't think we out-worked them, I just think the ball came our way a few times and it was just a major battle in that paint. Anytime you play against Chicago, a team that (Tom Thibodeau) is gonna coach, you know you're gonna play a team that is gonna hit you right in the mouth."

He had to be feeling better after this one. Before the game, though, he made it clear he wasn't thrilled with the NBA.

While Davis was back in New Orleans being examined after taking an inadvertent elbow to the head from teammate Austin Rivers in the first half of Friday's win over Utah, Williams was unloading.

He blasted the NBA's protocols for determining when a player can return from a concussion before this game, saying, "Now, they treat everybody like they have white gloves and pink drawers and it's getting old. It's just the way the league is now."

He had to like the way his team stepped up even though Davis was out.

"You see how guys came in with high motors, understood that this is their time to get their minutes," Chicago's Taj Gibson said. "This league is all about guys stepping up. You saw Robin Lopez and Ryan Anderson, guys coming in with a high motor, gaining confidence early and playing well."

The Bulls also saw some missed opportunities, particularly near the rim. When they drove, Thibodeau said he saw "a lot of flipping instead of attacking," but it wasn't just that. He saw players not hustling back on defense after a miss, and that really bothered him.

"The thing that bothered me was our approach to defensive transition," he said. "When you're not shooting well, you can't allow that to sap your energy in terms of getting back, setting your defense."

Notes: When he was an assistant in Boston, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau could tell big things were in store for Doc Rivers' son Austin. "In Boston, he was around a lot," Thibodeau said. "He had a lot of confidence and poise, very comfortable being on the floor playing against pros even when he was in high school. He's been around the pro game his whole life. I think he's going to be a terrific player." Rivers believed Thibodeau would be a successful head coach, and in his first two years, the Bulls captured the top seed in the Eastern Conference. "It's funny, before he became a head coach, my dad was always talking like he's gonna be a great coach. It was almost like my dad and him coached. It wasn't just my dad. Coach Tom was.you look at their (Boston) defense and how it went up once he got there, and look what he's done with Chicago. I know he's gonna have a tough defensive scheme for me and everyone else tonight." ... The Hornets had dropped eight straight to Chicago.

Notebook: Hornets 89, Bulls 82

Kent McDill, for NBA.com
Posted Sat Nov 03, 2012 11:34 PM - Updated Sat Nov 03, 2012 11:34 PM

THE FACTS: The visiting New Orleans Hornets played better defense, and the host Chicago Bulls couldn't make shots when they were open, so the Hornets came away with an 89-82 victory at the United Center on Saturday. The decision left both teams 2-1 on the young season. The Hornets played without star rookie forward Anthony Davis, who suffered a concussion Friday and did not travel with the team. Greivis Vasquez scored 18 points, while Robin Lopez and Jason Smith had 16 points each for the Hornets. Luol Deng scored 19 points for the Bulls.

THE FACTS II: It took the Bulls more than five minutes to get their second basket of the game, and they had nine turnovers in the first quarter. They managed to build a lead in the second quarter, but lost it, and lost the battle for the rest of the game.

QUOTABLE: "Anthony left a big hole, but everyone stepped up to fill that hole." -- New Orleans center Robin Lopez

THE STAT: The Hornets outrebounded the Bulls 44-41. The Bulls did get 15 offensive rebounds for 20 points.

THE STAT II: The Bulls shot 33 percent for the game, and the bench outscored the starters 42-40. Starters Carlos Boozer, Richard Hamilton and Kirk Hinrich combined to go 4-for-26 (15.3 percent) for 10 points.

INJURY UPDATE: Hornets coach Monty Williams said he did not know when Davis would be allowed to return to the team.

HOT: Lopez was 7-for-10 from the field, and had seven rebounds for the Hornets.

NOT: Hinrich is 5-for-19 (26.3 percent) from the field this season.

QUOTABLE II: "We don't get a lot of credit or notoriety for being a physical team, but that is something we pride ourselves on." -- New Orleans coach Monty Williams

QUOTABLE III: "On nights you are not shooting well, there are many other things you can do to help yourselves win." -- Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau

GOOD MOVE: Ryan Anderson, who was New Orleans' No. 2 scorer after the first two games, was put into the starting lineup in place of Davis and scored 12 points with 13 rebounds.

INSIDE THE ARENA: The No. 1 ranked Indiana University basketball team was in attendance for the game.

ROOKIE WATCH: The Hornets' other starting rookie, Austin Rivers, had nine points in 34 minutes of play. He had as many turnovers (two) as assists.

UP NEXT: For the Bulls, Tuesday vs. Orlando, Thursday vs. Oklahoma City, Saturday vs Minnesota. For the Hornets, Wednesday vs. Philadelphia, Friday vs. Charlotte, Nov. 14 @ Houston.

• Hornets: Gordon
• Bulls: Rose

• Hornets: Smith
• Bulls: --

• Lead Changes: 2
• Times Tied: 3

• Arena: United Center, Chicago, IL
• Officials: #49 Tom Washington, #35 Kane Fitzgerald, #60 James Williams
• Attendance: 21758
• Duration: 2:21