Nets-Bulls Preview

By TAYLOR BECHTOLD
Posted Dec 15 2012 2:00AM

Despite having a short-handed backcourt, the Chicago Bulls are playing some of their best basketball of the season.

The streaky Brooklyn Nets have also gotten back to winning, but might have to try to extend their run without one of their key players.

The Bulls look for their fifth win in six games, while the Nets seek their third straight victory on Saturday night in Chicago.

Already without star Derrick Rose, Chicago (12-9) has had to move on without backup point guard Kirk Hinrich and starting shooting guard Richard Hamilton.

Hinrich sat out a 96-89 victory at Philadelphia on Wednesday after bruising his left knee against the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday and is day-to-day.

While Hamilton (foot) has missed six games and isn't expected to return until the end of the month, the Bulls have received some major contributions from their replacements.

Nate Robinson scored 14 points as the starter in place of Hinrich against the 76ers. Marco Belinelli added 16 and has averaged 16.8 per game since moving into the lineup at shooting guard.

"There's a lot of basketball left and we have to keep playing like this," center Joakim Noah said after scoring 21 points. "We had everyone here contribute. That's what you need."

Noah may not need to defend Brooklyn's leading scorer Brook Lopez on Saturday.

While Lopez was back in the starting lineup Friday after missing seven games with a sprained right foot, coach Avery Johnson said he would be re-evaluated before the team determines if he'll play versus the Bulls.

Lopez scored nine points in 24 minutes in a 107-105 double-overtime victory over Detroit after the Nets (13-9) went 2-5 in his absence.

Andray Blatche had 16 points off the bench and is likely to fill in again after averaging 17.6 in the seven games Lopez missed.

The Nets' defense, however, seemed to take a bit of a hit without Lopez, who ranks among the league leaders with 2.5 blocks per game after recording three on Friday.

Brooklyn has given up 94.3 points per game this season, but allowed 99.9 during the stretch without Lopez.

The Nets followed a five-game win streak with five consecutive losses before rebounding to win 94-88 at Toronto on Wednesday and a buzzer-beater at home on Friday.

Joe Johnson made a jumper from just inside the arc as time expired in the second overtime to give Brooklyn the win after blowing a 17-point lead.

"The coaches and, like I say, my teammates have the confidence in putting the ball in my hands down the stretch, then I have to come up big for us," Johnson said.

Johnson finished with 28 points and has 51 on 19-of-36 shooting in back-to-back wins.

Brooklyn has shot 47.6 percent from the field in its last three games, but is likely to find the going much tougher against the Bulls.

Chicago has allowed 88.2 points while holding opponents to 41.4 percent from the field in winning seven of 10. The Bulls rank near the top of the NBA in both categories.

Carlos Boozer will try to bounce back after finishing with five points on Wednesday. He averaged 18.0 points on 64.7 percent (22 of 34) from the field as the Bulls won two of three against the Nets last season.

Chicago has won eight of 10 at the United Center in the series, but the Nets took the last meeting, 97-85, on Feb. 18 behind 29 points from Deron Williams.

Noah, Bulls hold off Nets 83-82

Posted Dec 15 2012 11:59PM

CHICAGO (AP) The Chicago Bulls have relied on their defense while star guard Derrick Rose rehabs his serious knee injury.

It worked again Saturday night.

Joakim Noah helped force a key turnover and rookie point guard Marquis Teague played tough defense on Deron Williams in the final seconds, helping Chicago rally for an 83-82 win over the Brooklyn Nets.

Noah also had 12 points and 10 rebounds as Chicago (13-9) won for the fifth time in six games.

Brooklyn had a chance to tie it in the final seconds, but Williams missed a jumper with Teague defending him.

"Marquis stayed ready to play," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "Marquis has made some significant strides defensively."

The 19-year-old Teague has played a career-high 20 minutes in each of the last two games with Kirk Hinrich battling a knee injury. He finished with eight points and four fouls, spending much of his time chasing Williams around the court.

"I was just trying to contain him, just keep him in front of me," Teague said. "It's hard to keep a player like that from scoring."

Noah and Luol Deng trapped Joe Johnson late in the game, resulting in one of Brooklyn's 18 turnovers. Deng turned the mistake into a basket that tied it at 79.

"They surprised us with a couple of double teams," Nets coach Avery Johnson said. "Had we done a better job of taking care of the ball, especially down the stretch, we could have come out on the winning end."

Brook Lopez had 18 points and 10 rebounds for Brooklyn, which played for the fourth time in five days. The Nets won at home Friday night, beating Detroit 107-105 in double overtime.

Marco Belinelli led Chicago with 19 points. He made a layup and two free throws to cap an 8-0 run in the closing minutes.

Belinelli also hit the Bulls' only 3-pointers of the game. Chicago shot 2 of 10 from long range overall, but still managed to eke out another close win. All but two of Chicago's wins have come by 10 points or fewer.

"We played great defense the last three or four minutes," Belinelli said. "That's why we won the game."

Deng scored 17 points and Carlos Boozer added 15 for Chicago.

Williams, who played 43 minutes the night before, was on the court for 35 minutes against Chicago and created plenty of problems for the short-handed Bulls.

He made it to the free throw line 13 times and kept both Teague and Nate Robinson in foul trouble throughout the game.

"You are never going to be able to stop a guy like Deron Williams," Thibodeau said. "You just have to make him work."

Johnson scored 16 points in 38 minutes. On Friday night, he played 52 minutes and hit a buzzer-beater for the win.

Lopez played 25 minutes in his second game back since an injured right foot cost him seven games. He seemed to be the least sluggish of the Nets on the floor at the start, hitting his first five shots and scoring Brooklyn's first six points. He finished 8 of 17 from the floor.

"Physically I felt good," Lopez said. "But I missed a lot tonight. I have to keep working on getting my touch back."

Williams hit two free throws to cap a 13-point first quarter and give the Nets a one-point advantage.

Robinson ignited the crowd with a hustle play in the first, running back after making a layup to block MarShon Brooks' bid to catch the Bulls off guard.

Robinson scored eight points and committed only one turnover starting in place of Hinrich.

NOTES: Thibodeau said Hinrich is `'getting better, but not quite there yet." He was reluctant to specify anything beyond Hinrich's day-to-day status. ... Nets F Gerald Wallace, who scored a season-high 25 points in 50 minutes Friday night, scored six points in 38 minutes against the Bulls.

Notebook: Bulls 83, Nets 82

Kent McDill, for NBA.com
Posted Sat Dec 15, 2012 11:55 PM - Updated Sat Dec 15, 2012 11:55 PM

THE FACTS: The host Chicago Bulls made it five wins in their last six games with an 83-82 win over the visiting Brooklyn Nets at the United Center Saturday. Marco Belinelli led the Bulls with 19 points, including the go-ahead bucket in the final minute of the game. Joakim Noah had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulls. Deron Williams led the Nets with 24 points while Brook Lopez had 18 points and 10 rebounds in just 25 minutes.

THE FACTS II: The Bulls came from six points down with 5:44 left in the fourth quarter, perhaps taking advantage of the fact the Nets played a double-overtime game Friday.

THE STAT: The Nets became only the fourth team to outrebound (41-33) the Bulls this season, and only the second visiting team to do it. The Bulls are 2-2 in those games.

THE STAT II: The Nets outscored the Bulls 21-6 from 3-point range.

THE STAT III: The Bulls are 21-16 in games in which they score fewer than 90 points in coach Tom Thibodeau's two-plus seasons with the team. That's a winning percentage of .568. The rest of the league has a combined percentage of .158 in such games in the same time, and no other team has a winning record in those instances over the past three seasons.

TURNING POINT: Belinelli's drive to the hoop with 22 seconds left gave the Bulls the lead for good at 81-79.

QUOTABLE I: "It was wide open.''
-- Marco Belinelli on game-winning basket

INJURY UPDATE: Lopez played his second game in two nights after missing seven games in a row with a sprained right ankle. He played 25 minutes. Kirk Hinrich of the Bulls missed his second straight game with a bruised knee.

HOT: Belinelli scored his 19 points on just nine shots, making six. He got the free-throw line and made all five of his attempts.

QUOTABLE II: "To have him come out and play 25 minutes against a tough physical team showed a lot of positives.''
-- Brooklyn coach Avery Johnson on Lopez

GOOD MOVE: Thibodeau let rookie guard Marquis Teague stay in the game for the final seven minutes, and it was Teague who got in the face of Nets' guard Deron Williams on the miss that completed the Bulls victory with seven seconds left (Williams hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to finish the game's scoring.)

BAD MOVE: With Luol Deng leading the league with 41 minutes per game, and Noah ranked second in the league at 40.1, Thibodeau played Deng 45 minutes Saturday and Noah 42.

QUOTABLE III: "Down the stretch, coach knows he can call on myself, Rook [Teague], Taj [Gibson], to come in and step in. We are ready. When we get 100 percent healthy, we will be more dangerous than we are now."
-- Bulls guard Nate Robinson

ROOKIE WATCH: Teague has only played in 10 of the first 22 games. He has played 40 of his 76 total minutes in the last two games, and has scored 14 of his 27 total points.

NOTABLE: The Nets only play two games in the next seven days, giving them a chance to get healthy... the Bulls had a season low in rebounds... Belinelli is averaging 17 points since starting in place of Rip Hamilton... Joakim Noah is tied with LeBron James of Miami with 11 games of double-double scoring/rebounding and at least five assists.

UP NEXT: For the Bulls, Monday at Memphis, Tuesday vs. Boston, Friday at New York. For the Nets, Tuesday vs. Utah, Wednesday at New York, Dec. 23 vs. Philadelphia.

• Nets: Shengelia, Stackhouse
• Bulls: Rose

• Nets: --
• Bulls: --

• Lead Changes: 14
• Times Tied: 7

• Arena: United Center, Chicago, IL
• Officials: #8 Marc Davis, #35 Kane Fitzgerald, #73 Tre Maddox
• Attendance: 21866
• Duration: 2:21