Big 3rd quarter does job for Bulls
PHILADELPHIA - Before Allen Iverson was traded away, the Philadelphia 76ers loved to use their video board to relive a moment early in Iverson's career when he caused Michael Jordan to stumble on a crossover move.
Bulls rookie Derrick Rose topped that Sunday when he literally made veteran guard Andre Miller sit down on a left-handed crossover. That abuse occurred just minutes after Rose chased down Miller from behind and swatted a fastbreak layup attempt into the seats.
Rose was hardly the lone star for the Bulls. Toughened by a difficult November road schedule, the Bulls recovered from an early 15-point deficit and rode off with an impressive 103-92 victory over the Sixers. The same teams will meet again Tuesday at the United Center
The Bulls (8-9) officially completed the circus road trip with a 3-4 record, the second-best performance of the post-championship era.
"We're playing team basketball, and that's what it's all about," said Rose, who produced a season-high 10 assists to go with 18 points. "We didn't get rattled when they got up on us. We stayed in control and made sure we ran our plays to be effective."
Trailing by 3 points at halftime, the Bulls turned in a brilliant third quarter, outscoring the Sixers 31-11. Ben Gordon (21 points) got things started, scoring the Bulls' first 8 points of the second half. Eventually, the visitors hit 10 of 16 shots from the field and added 7 free throws in the third.
A fastbreak alley-oop dunk by Rose off a pass from Gordon finished the quarter with the Bulls ahead 83-66. Philadelphia didn't get back within single digits until the final minute of the game.
"We can't lose by 20 in a quarter," Sixers forward Elton Brand said. "You have to step it up. The last two games in a row, guys came off the bench and took it to us."
Forward Drew Gooden (20 points) was hot early, scoring 18 points in the first half, while Larry Hughes (16 points) kept the Bulls comfortably ahead by knocking down 4 of 6 shots from 3-point range.
The Bulls were able to force the Sixers to shoot from the perimeter and usually sent a double-team in the direction of Brand, the Bulls' No. 1 draft pick in 1999. Brand finished with 21 points to lead Philadelphia (7-10), which lost its fourth straight game.
"Overall, I thought everybody contributed," Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said. "We went out there with 26 assists and shooting over 50 percent. I thought we were active in a zone and even with man (defense). There were a few turnovers that were unfortunate for us, but overall I thought it was a solid game."
The Bulls fell behind 41-26 early in the second before they erupted for a 20-2 run. The rally included 10 points from Gooden and was capped by a runner by Rose that put them ahead 46-43 before the Sixers bounced back to grab a 55-52 edge at the break.