76ers-Bulls Preview

By TAYLOR BECHTOLD
Posted Dec 01 2012 10:32AM

After struggling offensively to start the season, the Philadelphia 76ers appear to have found their groove.

The 76ers, however, might find the going a little tougher on Saturday night when they visit defensive-minded Chicago in the teams' first meeting since Philadelphia upset the Bulls in the first round of the playoffs.

The 76ers (10-6) continued to get a boost from their improving offense on Friday night when they eclipsed 100 points for the fifth time in six games in a 104-98 victory at Charlotte.

Philadelphia, which won its third straight, has averaged 101.0 points while shooting 46.4 percent -- including 38.7 percent shooting from 3-point range -- over its last six games.

The current stretch is quite a contrast from the team's tough times in the first four games of the season, when it averaged 83.3 points with a 38.3 shooting percentage.

"I was never really worried," guard Jason Richardson said. "I knew we had guys that could score and I just thought we were going through a (cold) streak."

Richardson, who missed almost five full games early in November with an ankle sprain, hit four 3-pointers and scored 14 of his season-high 22 points in the fourth quarter Friday.

Evan Turner had another big game, scoring 25 points on 10 of 15 shooting for his career-best eighth straight game in double figures. Turner has averaged 22.3 points on 56.1 percent shooting over his last four games.

He averaged 11.7 points against the Bulls in the playoffs after famously saying he'd rather face Chicago than Miami in the opening round.

Jrue Holiday had 13 points and a career-high 15 assists Friday for Philadelphia, which shot a season-best 51.2 percent from the field.

Holiday averaged 18.2 points in the six-game playoff series against Chicago.

While the 76ers look for their seventh win in nine games, they'll have to find a way to keep things rolling against one of the toughest defensive teams in the league.

The Bulls (7-7) rank fourth in the NBA in scoring defense at 92.3 points per game and are also among the top 10 in defensive field-goal percentage at 43.4.

Chicago will try for its third win in four games after holding Dallas to season lows in points and field-goal percentage (34.6) in a 101-78 victory Wednesday.

Coach Tom Thibodeau, though, was quick to point out the effort came against the short-handed Mavericks.

"Here's the thing - we caught a break," Thibodeau said. "They're missing (Darren) Collison and Dirk (Nowitzki) and they played last night. And (O.J.) Mayo is dinged up with an ankle injury."

Chicago still recovered from blowing a 27-point lead in a 93-92 loss to Milwaukee two days earlier as Luol Deng led five players in double figures with 22 points.

Nate Robinson had 14 points and a game-high six assists and Jimmy Butler scored a career-high 13 off the bench.

The Bulls' bench, which scored 10 points against the Bucks and ranks near the bottom of the Eastern Conference at 29.4 per game, bounced back to score a season-high 50.

"We understand we have a long season," said reserve Taj Gibson, who had eight points. "There's going to be a lot of bumps in the road, but we're sticking together."

The Bulls' biggest problem in the playoff series against Philadelphia - aside from losing Derrick Rose - was failing to create turnovers. The 76ers gave it away just 9.8 times per game compared to Chicago's 14.3.

Philadelphia's 12.7 turnovers per game this season are the league's second-fewest.

Bulls get the best of 76ers 93-88

Posted Dec 02 2012 12:04AM

CHICAGO (AP) Richard Hamilton wasn't sure he was healthy enough to return to the game.

It didn't matter, he was going back on the floor for the Chicago Bulls.

Hamilton left the game in the third quarter with a left ankle injury, then returned to hit three of four free throws in the final 20 seconds to clinch a 93-88 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night.

Luol Deng scored a game-high 25 points. He also had a season-high seven assists and has led the team in scoring in consecutive games. He scored 22 in a 101-78 win over the Dallas Mavericks.

Hamilton finished with 15 points for the Bulls, who played the 76ers for the first time since last season's first-round playoff series.

Hamilton went down with a little more than three minutes left in the third quarter after elevating off the ground while on offense. Kirk Hinrich and Deng helped him as he limped off the floor.

"As soon as I came up off my feet, I felt something on the bottom of my foot," Hamilton said.

"I felt something pop."

Hamilton did not receive X-rays, but said he is scheduled for an MRI on Sunday.

"When Rip (Hamilton) came back, (team trainer) Fred Tedeschi said we could use him if needed," coach Tom Thibodeau said. "We needed him ... we wanted him out there for the free throw situation."

Pending the MRI, the decision worked out well for Thibodeau and the Bulls.

After missing the second of his first pair of free throws, Hamilton was fouled after grabbing the loose ball batted away by Joakim Noah and made his next two.

"I should have had Thad (Young) and Evan (Turner) pinching on Noah and Evan got caught over there on him, so that was my mistake," 76ers coach Doug Collins said.

Chicago (8-7) outrebounded Philadelphia 50-37, including 13 rebounds for Noah and 12 for Carlos Boozer.

Noah had 12 points and seven assists and Boozer had 12 points, giving him double-doubles in six of his past eight games.

Jrue Holiday led the 76ers with 23 points. Thaddeus Young added 22 points and seven rebounds.

"There were a lot of loose balls, 50-50 balls that we should have got," Holiday said. "I think there were lots of plays on defense we missed at critical times. It kind of comes down to the details."

Philadelphia, which had won three straight and seven of nine overall, failed to reach 100 points for just the second time in six games. The Sixers have won three in a row three times this season, but have not been able to win a fourth.

Philadelphia (10-7) shot just 27.3 percent from long range and 43.8 percent from the field overall. Chicago moved to 6-0 when holding teams to fewer than 90 points.

"The thing for us is to concentrate on improvement," Thibodeau said. "We are moving in the right direction. We are still not a 48-minute team. There were stretches where we played well defensively, we have to do it consistently throughout the game."

The Bulls downplayed talk of the rematch from last season's early playoff exit throughout the week. But the memory clearly lingered with fans, who showered the Sixers with boos during introductions.

The Bulls lost reigning MVP Derrick Rose to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the final 90 seconds of a Game 1 win over the 76ers. Chicago exited the first round in six games, just the fifth time in NBA history a No. 8 seed knocked off the No. 1 seed. Rose had surgery to repair his left knee in May and has been rehabbing since.

Philadelphia jumped out to an early 13-6 lead before the Bulls found a rhythm on offense.

Deng assisted Noah on a big first-quarter dunk to bring Chicago within two points, then was on the receiving end two possessions later with a dunk to tie it at 17.

Deng scored Chicago's final seven points of the first quarter to contribute to a 21-6 Bulls run.

Philadelphia regained the lead with a minute left in the second half on Evan Turner's fading leaner in the lane. Following another dunk by Noah, Holiday hit one of two free throws with 1.3 seconds left to send it to halftime tied at 41.

Notes: 76ers guard Nick Young (left great toe hyperextension) was inactive. ... Turner reached double digits in scoring for a ninth straight game, extending his career high.

Notebook: Bulls 93, 76ers 88

Kent McDill, For NBA.com
Posted Sat Dec 01, 2012 11:54 PM - Updated Sat Dec 01, 2012 11:54 PM

THE FACTS: In thrilling back-and-forth game, the host Chicago Bulls finally pulled away for a 93-88 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers Saturday night. The victory gave the Bulls their first two-game winning streak since the first two games of the season. Luol Deng had 25 points, seven rebounds and seven assists while Richard Hamilton scored 15 points in 23 minutes for the Bulls. Jrue Holiday had 23 points and Thaddeus Young had 22 for the Sixers.

The lead changed hands eight times over the night, but the Bulls (8-7) led the entire fourth quarter. However, their lead never got more than eight points, and was never more than six through the final six minutes of the final period.

QUOTABLE: "They are a tough team to defend. They've got guys who play to the end of the shot clock as well as anybody in the league."

-- Philadelphia coach Doug Collins on Chicago

THE STAT: The Bulls got double-doubles from both Carlos Boozer (12 points, 12 rebounds) and Joakim Noah (12 points, 13 rebounds). Taj Gibson added 11 points and eight rebounds.

THE STAT II: After the game, Collins searched the box score to find some way to explain to reporters how the game was decided. The game was so close, nothing stood out. He noted the Bulls outrebounded the Sixers 50-37, but the difference was on defensive rebounds (38-26).

TURNING POINT: Despite suffering a severe left ankle sprain in the third quarter, Hamilton came back into the game with 20 seconds left and went 3-for-4 on free throws to seal the outcome.

INJURY UPDATE: Hamilton got injured on a jumping pass play where he came down on a defender's foot. He was carried off the floor by teammates Kirk Hinrich and Deng. He was limping noticeably in the locker room after the game.

HOT: Deng and Young were each 10-for-16 from the field. Young was 3-for-5 on free throws, however, while Deng hit all four of his attempts from the line.

NOT: Evan Turner and Jason Richardson of Philadelphia combined to go 9-for-29 in the game.

QUOTABLE II: "The whole game, whenever we needed a big bucket, he was making it."

-- Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich on teammate Deng

QUOTABLE III: "Fred Tedeschi [Bulls trainer] said we could use him if needed. We needed him."

-- Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, talking about Hamilton coming back from his ankle injury

INSIDE THE ARENA: Between the first and second quarters, rather than have a corporate sponsored event Saturday, the Bulls showed a video of injured star guard Derrick Rose with the 1970s song "Still the One'' playing underneath. Rose is not expected back until spring 2013 at the earliest.

NOTABLE: Deng, who leads the league in minutes per game, averaging 40.5 minutes, played in 42 Saturday. Noah, who ranks third in minutes played with 38.8 per game, played in 41.

UP NEXT: For the Bulls, Tuesday vs. Pacers, Wednesday @ Cavaliers, Friday @ Pistons. For the Sixers, Tuesday vs. Timberwolves, Friday vs. Celtics, Saturday at Celtics.

• 76ers: Bynum
• Bulls: Rose

• 76ers: Turner
• Bulls: Noah

• Lead Changes: 8
• Times Tied: 10

• Arena: United Center, Chicago, IL
• Officials: #13 Monty McCutchen, #20 Leroy Richardson, #79 Kevin Scott
• Attendance: 21607
• Duration: 2:13