Sixers take Bulls 121-99
PHILADELPHIA -- One solitary facet of the game prevented the Bulls from pulling out a victory against the hottest team in the Eastern Conference.
If only the Bulls could have eliminated the Sixers' overwhelming 30-2 edge in fastbreak points, they might have pulled off an upset. Instead, they watched from behind as Philadelphia sprinted up and down the court for an easy 121-99 victory Wednesday night at the Wachovia Center.
The only real debate when this game ended was whether the Bulls did a horrible job of getting back on defense or if the Sixers were simply that much faster. The Bulls seemed to be using pedal power against Philadelphia's jet engines.
"It looked like we were stuck in mud," Bulls coach Jim Boylan said. "We were not reacting very well to their push back at us and we gave them a lot of easy opportunities."
The Sixers (37-35) improved to 19-5 since Feb. 5. The only team in the league with a better record in that time frame is Houston, which won 22 straight at one point.
The defeat essentially sets up a do-or-die showdown for the Bulls (28-43) on Friday in Atlanta. Another loss would drop the Bulls 4 games behind the Hawks for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with 10 games remaining.
"Every game is make or break for us right now," center Joakim Noah said. "We don't have time to relax. This is it. It's now or never."
The Bulls seemed helpless at the start of the game against Philadelphia's aggressive defense. The visitors missed 12 of their first 13 shots, helping launch the fastbreak mismatch.
Offensive discipline was important for the Bulls as well. Early in the second quarter when they focused on attacking the basket, they scored on 9 of 10 possessions and cut a 17-point deficit to 9. But when the Sixers answered with a couple of baskets, the Bulls reverted to the quick-shot technique.
The Bulls showed some life in the third quarter by trimming a 22-point deficit to 8 on two occasions, but once Philadelphia answered with a few baskets, the Bulls didn't have the energy left to change their fate.
Thabo Sefolosha led the Bulls with 20 points, while Kirk Hinrich had 18.
A day after a monster 31-point, 16-rebound performance, Drew Gooden finished with 2 points and 8 rebounds against the Sixers. He went 0-for-5 from the field and played just 19 minutes after being ineffective from the start.
"This isn't a game to say I didn't have it going offensively," Gooden said. "I only took 5 shots. Unfortunately, those didn't go in. I've started a lot of games 0-for-5. Yesterday was just the opposite end of the stick; I hit my first 5 shots. I just didn't have an opportunity to get going offensively."
Springfield native Andre Iguodala was a blur for the Sixers in the first half, hitting 7 of 9 shots for 19 points by halftime. Iguodala added just a single basket in the second half, but the subs picked up the slack.
Guard Louis Williams came off the bench to score 23 points in 23 minutes. The Sixers might win the NBA tittle if Williams and Rodney Carney continue to hit 9 of 13 shots from 3-point range as they did Wednesday.