Vroom! Bulls fly past SuperSonics
SEATTLE _ A week ago, Bulls forward Joe Smith spent a couple days in bed with the flu. Then it took him nearly that long Monday night to describe his symptoms.
"It was just a constant headache, sore throat, chest pains every time I coughed," Smith described. "My body felt weak, I had the shivers, sweating all the time.
"For three or four days, I just felt miserable, didn't even get out of bed for a while. I wasn't eating anything. I lost a few pounds, which I couldn't really afford."
Smith claimed to still be under the weather, but he managed to produce 25 points and 10 rebounds while leading the Bulls to a 118-108 victory over the Seattle SuperSonics late Monday at Key Arena.
Meanwhile, there was more injury news to worry the Bulls. Guard Kirk Hinrich left the game early in the fourth quarter with bruised ribs and stayed behind to get tests done at the hospital while the rest of the team flew to Portland.
"I don't know the extent of the injury," coach Jim Boylan said. "I think they're just being cautious and they want to do a couple of tests to make sure there's nothing more serious involved."
The Bulls obviously didn't want to risk repeating a scary episode that occured in 2004, when forward Paul Shirley suffered a lacerated kidney in a game at Indiana and became seriously ill on the plane back to Chicago. Hinrich may end up driving to Portland today with assistant trainer Marc Boff.
Hinrich had 15 points and 5 assists against the Sonics. His replacement, Chris Duhon, helped save the game.
Duhon hit back-to-back 3-point baskets, his only points of the night, midway through the final quarter. The second 3-pointer gave the Bulls a 97-86 lead with 7:55 remaining, then Duhon made a nice pass to Aaron Gray for a layin. The rookie center tied his season-high with 14 points.
The Bulls (19-28) were in control most of the night, thanks to a strong effort on the offensive glass. They finished with 23 offensive rebounds, 8 by Ben Wallace, and 26 second-chance points.
Ben Gordon played for the second time after missing five games with a sprained right wrist. He followed up a 33-point performance against Sacramento with 20 points at Seattle. Gordon hit 7 of 16 shots and took advantage of some late fouling by the Sonics.
Andres Nocioni (14 points) limped into the locker room late in the first quarter. He was back soon, however, and returned to the court before the first half was over. Boylan said Nocioni stepped on the foot of referee Greg Willard and turned his left ankle.
Seattle rookie Kevin Durant scored 20 points, while Wally Szczerbiak led the Sonics (12-36) with 21.