Gordon believes other Bulls should step up late in games

Ben Gordon wouldn't mind a little help in crunch time of close games.

During overtime losses to Portland and Orlando this week, the fourth-year shooting guard scored 52 percent of the Bulls' points in the fourth quarter and beyond.

"It's tough. I'm not going to lie," Gordon said Friday at the Berto Center. "We've just got to figure out other options, because at the end of games, it's pretty easy to cover something if you know it's coming. As a team, we've just got to help each other and catch teams off-guard a little bit."

The Bulls should have other options.

Luol Deng was out with left Achilles tendinitis late in the 115-109 double-overtime loss to Portland. But Kirk Hinrich was on the floor for 19 minutes in the fourth quarter and two overtimes and scored 2 points. Andres Nocioni didn't even attempt a shot during 11 minutes of court time in the fourth quarter and first overtime.

"Teams are obviously focusing in on him at the end of games because he's our No. 1 option," coach Jim Boylan said. "I have total confidence in Ben Gordon with the ball in his hands at the end of games. We talk about those situations and he understands what he needs to do. I think he'll just get better at it."

Gordon had a costly turnover late in each overtime loss, but they were both specific scenarios. Gordon tried to run time off the shot clock out high, was double-teamed by taller defenders and lost the ball.

"We talked about some things where maybe in those situations we can move the ball and get it back to him," Boylan said. "We're looking at some different things we can do to kind of ease the pressure on him and maybe take advantage of teams that switch and put a big guy on him like those two teams did.

"I always tell Ben, 'I'll never lose confidence in Ben Gordon, because here's a guy when the games are on the line, he's willing to step up and make a play.' The great players don't always make the great play every single time. There are great players that turned the ball over."

Considering how much scoring Gordon has done for the Bulls lately -- 29.8 points on 53.2 percent shooting in the last five games -- it's difficult to complain about a couple of turnovers.

The biggest issue facing the Bulls right now is defending the 3-point line. In the past three games, which also includes a win at Charlotte, opponents are shooting a blistering 46.8 percent from 3-point range. Portland was 11-for-22 from behind the arc on Thursday, compared to 4-for-24 by the Bulls.

This has actually been a problem going back to a Dec. 12 game at Indiana when the Pacers knocked down 11 of 24 shots from 3-point range. Bulls opponents have connected on 41.2 percent of their long-range attempts in the past 12 games.

Boylan said he made one correction Friday that should help. When an opponent drives the ball into the lane, Boylan wants the Bulls' help defenders to stop the ball closer to the foul line, so they'll have a better angle to run out and challenge a 3-point shot from the corner.

"The percentages are stop the ball, make them shoot from the perimeter," he said. "And that's a good recipe, I believe. Sometimes you get burned, like we've been. But I think part of that is our positioning. The adjustment we make on that will pay some dividends, hopefully."

Bulls under Boylan

The good

• Ben Gordon averaging 29.8 points and shooting 53.2 percent.

• Team averaging 106.2 points per game, compared to 91.5 previously.

The bad

• Came up short in 2 overtime losses at home.

• Allowing opponents to shoot 42 percent from 3-point range.