Gordon returns, but Bulls fall short

SACRAMENTO -- The Bulls' offensive issues may have been only temporary.

Missing three of their top five scorers on Wednesday in Minnesota, the Bulls finished with 67 points, their lowest total in nearly four years. Three days later, the Bulls were practically an offensive machine.

The biggest difference was the presence of Ben Gordon. Making his return to the court after missing five games with a sprained right wrist, Gordon poured in 33 points on 10-of-19 shooting on Saturday in Sacramento.

But the Bulls went cold when it counted and suffered a 105-101 loss as the Kings finished the game on an 11-3 run.

The Bulls (18-28) trailed for most of the second half, then finally tied the score at 89-89 with 6:35 remaining on a Gordon runner. Gordon then knocked down a pair of 3-pointers with Kings guard John Salmons in his face to give the Bulls their first lead since the second quarter.

But after the Bulls went ahead 95-92 with 4:58 remaining, they missed their next 10 shots, squandered a very winnable game and dropped to a season-low 10 games below .500.

A pair of ex-Bulls did plenty of damage for the Kings. Ron Artest scored 28 points, while center Brad Miller piled up 22 points and 20 rebounds.

Sacramento (22-24) scored 9 straight points, mostly at the foul line, to go ahead 101-95 with 1:28 remaining. The Bulls closed to within 101-99 with 49.5 seconds left after Joakim Noah and Gordon both hit a pair of free throws.

Artest answered by driving past Noah for a reverse dunk that made it 103-99 with 37.2 seconds left. The Bulls missed 3 shots on their next two possessions and Mike Bibby finally finished things off with 2 free throws.

The Bulls were closer to full strength against the Kings than they had been in more than a week. Gordon wasn't sure if he'd be available until just before game time.

"It's still a little bit sore," Gordon said. "But I tested it out on the court and it felt OK. So we'll see what happens. I hadn't really taken any shots with it up until (Friday). So after not shooting with it for a while, it felt pretty good."

Veteran forward Joe Smith (9 points) was also back in uniform after missing the previous two games with an illness. Coach Jim Boylan wavered on whether or not to start Smith, but eventually settled on leaving Noah in the starting lineup for the third straight game.

"We talked about it and I think for right now, that's the best way to go," Boylan said. "(Smith) is feeling great, he says."

Luol Deng, meanwhile, doesn't expect to play on the road trip and may have an MRI on his sore left Achilles tendon when the Bulls return home. Deng shot baskets before the game and said the injury is feeling better.

There are also signs that Andres Nocioni is not completely healthy. He was only mildly productive in the first half, with 6 points and 4 rebounds.

Less than two minutes into the second half, Nocioni was replaced by Viktor Khryapa. Nocioni has denied being injured, though he wore a sleeve Saturday that ran the length of his left leg. Nocioni returned to the court early in the fourth quarter.

The Bulls opened the game by hitting 9 of their first 10 shots and scored 60 points by halftime after shooting 60 percent from the field.