Bulls still can't find a way to beat Nets on the road
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The Bulls' late-season playoff push went about as well as their early-season drive to the NBA Finals.
In a repeat of the season opener on Halloween, the Bulls failed to score on the final possession of regulation, then lost in overtime at New Jersey. The final count Wednesday night was 110-102, the Bulls' 13th consecutive loss in the building now known as the Izod Center.
"This was a game I thought we could get and it just kind of slipped away from us," Bulls coach Jim Boylan said.
The Bulls were back at full strength for just the second time since Jan. 3, with top scorers Ben Gordon (sprained right wrist) and Luol Deng (left Achilles' tendinitis) back in uniform. Deng scored 13 points in 19 minutes, while Gordon hit 5 of 15 shots for 14 points in 32 minutes.
The Bulls (21-32) might have survived this game if only the Nets had hung on to notorious brick-layer Jason Kidd instead of sending him to Dallas on Tuesday. Kidd's replacement, second-year guard Marcus Williams, erupted for 25 points, the second most in his career.
"He's a better scorer than most people think he is," said Gordon, a former teammate of Williams at Connecticut.
Vince Carter scored 33 points to lead New Jersey (24-30) but appeared to injure his right hamstring in the final seconds of overtime and needed help getting to the locker room.
The Bulls, on the other hand, placed eight players in double figures, led by Joe Smith with 17 points.
Boylan expressed some frustration during his postgame news conference, particularly when asked about the Bulls' final possession of regulation.
After the Nets took a foul they had to give with 7.7 seconds left, the Bulls' final play seemed to get messed up when Smith and Gordon collided while trying to make a handoff at the top of the key. Forced to improvise, the Bulls didn't get a shot off before time expired.
"I think (Nets forward) Richard Jefferson collided with Joe is what I saw," Boylan said. "I thought there was a lot of contact out there, nothing was called."
"I really don't know what happened," Gordon added. "It happened so fast."
The Bulls were on their heels in overtime after missing their first 5 shots. Gordon finally drove past Carter to hit a running bank, but he missed the chance at a 3-point play, leaving the score tied at 96-96.
Jefferson's reverse layup put the Nets ahead for good with two minutes remaining. After the Bulls failed to score on two possessions, Jefferson hit 2 free throws to stretch the lead to 4.
Gordon's jumper pulled the Bulls within 100-98 with 59.9 seconds left. On the other end, Jefferson stumbled on Thabo Sefolosha's foot, sending him back to the foul line and giving New Jersey a 102-98 lead with 42.7 seconds left. Jefferson then blocked a 3-point attempt by Gordon, setting off a parade to the foul line in the final 31 seconds.
"They got to the line an incredible amount of times (30) in the second half," Boylan said. "I mean really an incredible amount of time."
In the fourth quarter, the lead changed hands six times in the final five minutes, but neither team scored after Carter hit a free throw to tie the game with 49.2 seconds remaining.