Duhon's 34 spark stunner
OAKLAND, Calif. -- All across the NBA, all season long, people have been wondering what happened to that energetic Bulls team that used to play harder than their opponents with regularity.
That group finally turned up on the West Coast the past two nights, under unusual circumstances.
Playing without Kirk Hinrich (bruised ribs), Ben Gordon (sprained right wrist) and Luol Deng (left Achilles tendinitis), the Bulls pulled off a shocking 114-108 victory over the Golden State Warriors, snapping an eight-game losing streak in Oakland.
Chris Duhon poured in a career-high 34 points, hitting 11 of 16 shots from the field. His previous season high was 13. Joe Smith added 27 points, and Tyrus Thomas was surprisingly clutch, scoring 14 points in the final 6:48 of the fourth quarter while the Bulls' lead was wobbling between 1 and 4 points.
"We were able to get hot, make some shots, get a couple stops. We just found some way to win it," Duhon said in a postgame television interview. "For us to come into a tough environment like Golden State and get a win, that just builds confidence in us."
With nearly 51 points per game missing from their lineup, the Bulls (20-29) managed to hang with one of the NBA's highest-scoring teams. The Warriors started the night averaging 109.6 points per game.
On top of that, Golden State hadn't played in five days, while the depleted Bulls were coming off a tough 100-97 loss at Portland the previous night.
Duhon drove the length of the court and hit a runner at the buzzer to tie the score at 77-77 at the end of three quarters. The Bulls then scored the first 6 points of the fourth and led the rest of the way.
Golden State (29-20) closed within 99-98 with 2:55 left on a driving layup by Baron Davis. On the Bulls' next trip, Thomas drilled a 17-foot key jumper. The visitors got some defensive stops and made 13 of 16 free throws the rest of the way to seal the win.
The Bulls shot 56.1 percent from the field to overcome 25 turnovers. They also hit 35 of 48 free throws. Center Ben Wallace (10 points, 8 rebounds) sat out the fourth quarter after going 0-for-7 from the foul line.
Chris Webber made his season debut for the Warriors, scoring 4 points in 13 minutes. Monta Ellis led the home team with 25 points.
As disappointing as this season has been, general manager John Paxson emphasized during an appearance on WSCR 670-AM that he will not give up on making the playoffs.
"You always owe it to yourself and to your fans to compete and play as hard as you can," Paxson said. "You've got to try to win. I will never feel otherwise.
The Bulls officially released forward Viktor Khryapa on Thursday. There has been speculation Khryapa will join his former team, European powerhouse CSKA Moscow, once he clears waivers.
Duhon a shooting star: Chris Duhon will team with Sky forward Candice Dupree and Bulls alum B.J. Armstrong in the Haier Shooting Stars contest during all-star weekend in New Orleans. Duhon was no doubt included because he's a New Orleans-area native who has led many charitable efforts in the city after Hurricane Katrina.
Last year, Dupree was matched with Ben Gordon and Scottie Pippen. The Bulls team would have won the event, but was disqualified when Gordon shot out of turn.