Vinsanity Brao

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Derrick Rose scored 30 points, 20 in the second half, and the Bulls led for the final 25 minutes of the game on the way to a 101-93 victory over Orlando at the United Center. The Bulls won their fourth straight game while the Magic lost on the road to an Eastern Conference team for only the third time this season.
Miller, with much help from his teammate guards and forwards, limited Orlando All-Star center Dwight Howard to nine points on 3-for-7 shooting in 33 minutes of play. Howard played much of the game with obvious frustration, although he did have a game-high 12 rebounds.
The Magic (24-9) stayed in the game only because Matt Barnes had his season high 23 points, making 5-of-6 3-pointers.
Since letting a 35-point lead slip away against Sacramento on Dec. 21, then going to New York and laying an egg against the Knicks, the Bulls have won four games in a row, including a home win against New Orleans. The results have quieted, if not entirely stopped, the talk of the Bulls' firing coach Vinny Del Negro.
"Beating Orlando, one of the best teams in the East, is a good confidence thing for our team,'' Del Negro said.
The Bulls (14-17) are now only half a game out of sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings.
Van Gundy repeated his praise of the Bulls after the contest.
"They just played a lot harder than us,'' Van Gundy said. "They played with more energy, more effort, defended hard and went to the boards harder than us all night. It's amazing we were within shouting distance at the end of this one."
The Bulls used their natural ability to stay with the Magic through the first quarter, although the visitors showed off their rebounding prowess. Led by Howard, the Magic got five offensive boards in the first quarter, converting their second chances into nine points on the way to a 29-26 edge.
The Magic also went 5-for-7 from 3-point range, while the Bulls did not attempt a 3-opinter in the first 12 minutes.
The Bulls can only win when they attack the basket, and they kept it up in the second quarter. Taking advantage of the Magic's outside misses, the Bulls opened up a 52-48 halftime lead. The Magic led 45-37 with five minutes to go, them missed their final nine shots of the half, while Rose and Luol Deng were running into easy jumpers. John Salmons' 3-pointer in the final minute of the half gave the Bulls their halftime edge.
The Bulls kept up the tempo in the second half. They scored 11 of the first 13 points of the third quarter to go up 63-50, with Rose getting six points in a row. Meanwhile, Miller was battling Howard inside and Howard responded enough that he got himself in foul trouble.
The fourth quarter was horrible for both teams, as they each missed a dozen shots before Orlando decided to make the game exciting. J.J. Redick's 3-pointer with 27 seconds left cut the Bulls' lead to 96-93, but Rose made two free throws and the Magic missed their final three shots.
The Magic played the final six minutes without Vince Carter, who suffered a twisted ankle on a layup attempt. Carter was 3-or-15 for the game for eight points before the injury.

Orlando is now on a 24-10 winning and losing record. =(

basketball ; my life
11:21 PM