 |
Simply amazing.
Game:
PHILADELPHIA(AP) Derrick Rose seems unfazed
by the rigorous NBA schedule.
In the final stop on a seven-game, 12-day
road trip which began Nov. 18 in Los Angeles
against the Lakers, the 20-year-old No. 1
overall pick in the draft still had plenty of
energy.
Ben Gordon scored 21 points, Drew Gooden had
20 points and 12 rebounds, and the Chicago
Bulls rallied from an early deficit for a
103-92 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on
Sunday.
Rose contributed 18 points and 10 assists and
reached double figures in assists for the
first time this season. Reserve Larry Hughes
had 16 points for the Bulls (8-9), who won
for only the third time in 10 games on the
road.
All three of Chicago's road wins came during
this stretch.
"We got the ball in his hands in transition
and he was finding guys,'' Bulls coach Vinny
Del Negro said of Rose.
Rose entered the game averaging 5.8 assists,
the best mark among rookies.
"I'm feeling good and taking it game by
game,'' said Rose, who played a team-high 40
minutes. "We're moving the ball and finding
the open person. We're playing team
basketball and that's what it's all about.''
Elton Brand had 21 points and 12 rebounds,
and Thaddeus Young added 17 points for the
reeling Sixers, who have lost four straight
to fall to 7-10. Andre Miller had 15 points
and 10 assists, and Willie Green chipped in
with 12 points.
Philadelphia scored a season-low 78 points in
a 24-point loss at Boston on Friday and has
been held below the 100-point mark in seven
consecutive games.
"We've got to step it up,'' Brand said.
"We've lost two games in a row where the
other team has taken it to us.''
The Bulls held a 71-66 lead late in the third
before running off 12 straight points to take
an 83-66 advantage at the end of the quarter.
Rose had six of the 12 points, including a
high-flying, one-handed dunk with 32 seconds
remaining.
"I think by us spreading out the basketball
the way we did, we were really consistent
with our effort in the zone and we got in
transition,'' Del Negro said.
After a 3-pointer by Hughes gave the Bulls a
92-73 lead with 7:21 left, the fans booed and
a large throng of them began to vacate the
arena. When the game ended, the boos careened
down once again.
"We have to get ourselves back in the
mind-set of defending,'' Sixers coach Maurice
Cheeks said.
The Sixers led by as many as 15 points in the
first half before Chicago went on a 14-0 run
to cut the lead to 41-40 on a basket by Luol
Deng with 4:57 remaining.
Philadelphia finished the half strong and
held what would wind up being a short-lived
55-52 lead.
Notes: Brand was originally selected by
Chicago with the top pick in the 1999 draft.
Brand spent two seasons with the Bulls and
seven with the Los Angeles Clippers before
signing with the Sixers as a free agent in
July. Young had 11 points in the first
quarter for the Sixers. The announced crowd
was 13,561, but there were pockets of empty
seats throughout the 20,000-plus seat arena. Tags : nba derrick rose block drops crosses andre miller bulls sixers gordon alley oop brand igoudala dunk |