Bulls sing the blues in Memphis
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - At the start of Friday's game in Memphis, Bulls guard Ben Gordon seemed to be paying tribute to local college hero Derrick Rose by showcasing the lack of defense played by Rose's fellow rookie-of-the-year candidate O.J. Mayo.
Gordon erupted for 18 points and knocked down 5 baskets from 3-point range in the first quarter, sending the Bulls into an early 26-12 lead over the Grizzlies.
But when Gordon picked up 3 fouls and sat out most of the second quarter, the Bulls' momentum died as well. Memphis was able to abuse Bulls defenders inside and out while roaring back for a 103-96 victory at FedEx Forum.
An abnormally large crowd showed up to support Rose, who led the University of Memphis to the NCAA title game last spring. The rookie point guard did what he could, finishing with 12 points and 11 assists.
"We wanted to put on a show for the fans even though it was Derrick's homecoming," Grizzlies guard Mike Conley said. "I thought we did a good job of not letting that get to us."
The Bulls (10-12) were badly outplayed during the final three quarters, particularly inside, where Memphis produced a 52-26 edge in points in the paint.
Power forward Hakim Warrick scored 12 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, and maligned center Darko Milicic chipped in with a season-high 13 points, to go with 11 rebounds.
"We weren't as quick as we normally are to help guys out when we're undersized out there, and it really hurt us," Gordon said. "You've got to give them credit for exploiting us in that area."
The Grizzlies (8-15) broke open a tie game with a 15-4 run late in the third quarter, and the Bulls never got back in it.
They cut the gap to 83-79 early in the fourth, then failed to convert two chances to get closer. Memphis scored twice to make it 87-79 with 7:40 remaining, and the visitors never pushed the deficit below 6 points the rest of the way.
Bulls forward Luol Deng scored 19 points but had a rough time defensively. He matched up against Rudy Gay (29 points) most of the night, then switched to Warrick in the fourth quarter when Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro went to a smaller lineup.
"I just felt like we needed to go small and try to trick it up with some switching and make it a little more difficult," Del Negro said. "Because we couldn't handle their penetration. They were getting in the middle and breaking us down. I thought Conley was very aggressive. Gay and Warrick are as athletic as you're going to find in the league."
Of course, the small lineup was also a result of Aaron Gray, Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas producing a combined 10 points and 11 rebounds during 48 minutes on the floor.
Milicic beat that by himself in 35 minutes.
Mayo scored 14 points, but his help wasn't needed in the fourth quarter.
Gordon finished with 26 points to lead the Bulls.
"After I got in foul trouble, I really wasn't a big factor in the game," Gordon said. "I kind of let my team down by not being out there for them."
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