Bulls fall to Sixers in home opener

Andre Miller scored 25 points, Andre Iguodala added 11 of his 22 in the fourth quarter, and the Philadelphia 76ers hung on to beat the Bulls 96-85 on Friday night at the United Center.

It was a disappointing home opener for the Bulls, who played like a team that could use some star power, even if general manager John Paxson put to rest the Kobe Bryant trade rumors the previous day. Some fans made it clear they wouldn't mind seeing the Lakers' superstar in a Chicago uniform, chanting "Kobe! Kobe!" in the closing seconds.

The Sixers appeared to be in control after a tip-in by Iguodala and breakaway dunk by Willie Green gave them a 71-61 lead heading into the fourth. Fans let the Bulls hear it, and the boos only got louder after layups by Iguodala and Rodney Carney made it 75-63.

Chicago wasn't finished.

A 3-pointer by Luol Deng made it 81-75 midway through the quarter, and Andres Nocioni pulled the Bulls within two with another 3-pointer with 5:15 remaining. With fans chanting "Let's go Bulls!" Nocioni missed a 3 that would have given Chicago a one-point lead, and the 76ers regrouped from there.

Samuel Dalembert dunked, and Miller converted a three-point play with 3:55 remaining to make it 87-80.

Ben Gordon led Chicago with 25 points. Second-year pro Tyrus Thomas had one of his best games, finishing with 21 points and a career-high 12 rebounds.