Small ball produces a win for Bulls
OAKLAND, Calif. - After being buried by big men in the previous two games, the Bulls decided to play small ball with the Golden State Warriors late Friday night.
The Bulls started 6-foot-7 Thabo Sefolosha at power forward and never even used centers Aaron Gray and Joakim Noah.
It ended up working out as the Bulls improved to 1-2 on their circus trip by pulling out a 115-110 victory.
Things got a bit tense late when Ben Gordon was whistled for a charging foul with 29.9 seconds left and the Bulls leading 111-108. But Warriors rookie Anthony Randolph blew an easy lay-in as the ball bounced off the back rim, and Larry Hughes (26 points) hit 2 free throws to give the Bulls a 113-108 lead with 10.3 seconds left.
Trailing 87-85 heading into the fourth quarter, the Bulls made a surge.
They went ahead 101-95 after a 3-pointer by Lindsey Hunter, then Derrick Rose's lane drive and dunk made it 105-97 with 4:57 left, equaling the Bulls' largest lead of the night to that point.
Rose, who finished with 25 points, had 2 points and 4 turnovers in the first half, then responded with 11 points in the third quarter, knocking down 4 jumpers. Hughes was also hot from long range.
Luol Deng skipped his second straight game with a sore left hamstring. He tested the injury at the morning shootaround but felt some pain when he tried to push off his left leg.
Hughes slid over to small forward and started in Deng's place for the second straight game. The Warriors have also been playing small, using 6-8 Corey Maggette and 6-5 Kelenna Azubuike at forward.
"They get up and down the court," Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said before the game. "Transition defense is really, really vital."
Sefolosha made the most of his opportunity, scoring 10 points in the first quarter. When Sefolosha started the first five games of the season, he averaged just 4 points.
By halftime, four of the five Bulls starters had reached double figures, led by Hughes with 14 points. The visitors hit 7 of 15 shots from 3-point range before halftime.
The Warriors made a trade earlier in the day, acquiring ex-Bulls guard Jamal Crawford from the New York Knicks in exchange for disgruntled forward Al Harrington, who was basically sitting out while waiting to be moved.
Coincidentally, the Bulls used a draft pick obtained from Golden State to select Crawford in 2000. Technically, the Bulls picked Chris Mihm and traded him for Crawford, but that hardly matters.
When the Warriors gave up that 2000 first-round draft pick, the player they got in return was Hughes, from Philadelphia. The Bulls sent Toni Kukoc to the Sixers in that three-way deal.
Crawford, now in his ninth season, was New York's second-leading scorer at 19.6 points per game and should fit well with Golden State coach Don Nelson's up-tempo, perimeter-oriented offense. Crawford was planning to join the Warriors in Philadelphia, where they play their next game.