BULLS VS ROCKETS "Rockets survive Bulls 4th qtr stampede"
Sun Feb 24, 2008 Toyota Center, Houston, TX
BOXSCORE CHI 99 HOU 107 Final
Player of the Game
The
Chicago Bulls used a late fourth quarter rally to close within a respectable margin of defeat losing 107-99 on the road at the
Toyota Center but the 8 point final deficit would not be a fair indicator of Houston's overall dominance.
Through three quarters the Rockets' hounding defense forced the Bulls into 20+ turnovers but it was Houston's relentless offensive tempo that had Chicago struggling to match. Rockets' head coach,
Phil Jackson, would elect to play recently signed free-agent rookie,
Garrick Briggs, over 6th-year pro,
Mike James, who had been struggling in the past few games and the move would pay off in huge dividends. Briggs, a 24 year old, 6'2" 208 lbs sharpshooter out of Hofstra University, provided a huge spark off the bench connecting on 4-of-5 from three-point range and finishing with 12 points, an assist and steal in 16 minutes.
Deron Williams once again found himself tied up in foul trouble ending with 6 points, 3 assists; but
Brevin Knight filled in nicely in Williams' absence with 6 points, 6 assists and 2 steals.
Riding the huge lift provided by Knight and Briggs, the Rockets carried a 12 point lead going into halftime, made a huge third quarter push and at one point led by as many as 20 with just under 5 minutes remaining in the game.
The Bulls managed a final charge led by
Ben Gordon and
Kirk Hinrich, to breach just within single-digits but a perfect 17-for-17 night from the free-throw line for Houston made the expiring seconds mere formality. With the win, the Rockets improve to 32-20 and claim their third consecutive victory.
"Another solid night for us," said coach Jackson following the game. "our bench in particular. Brevin (Knight) has been big for us and kept the offense running smoothly when Deron (Williams) got into foul trouble. Garrick (Briggs) kept their defense honest when his shot started to fall; that really opened things up for Yao inside."
Yao Ming paved the way for the Rockets with 28 points, 8 rebounds while Gordon and Hinrich combined for 46 points to carry the Bulls' scoring load.
On a quick back-to-back, the Rockets fly out to face
Zach Randolf and the
Portland Trailblazers tomorrow night.
Notes:
Garrick Briggs is a 6'2" 208lbs shooting guard out of Hofstra University, NY. Known as "the Marksman" for his solid mid-range and three-point shot in college, Briggs recently signed a 5.10M/5-year contract with the Rockets as an undrafted free-agent on Feb 6th, 2008.
Rookie, Garrick Briggs, went 4-of-5 from the arc including this rainbow with the shot clock expiring
MORE PHOTOS
The marksman strikes again | Briggs gets applause from Webster and Yao at the half

T-Mac flies in for a monster dunk as the Rockets push an early lead
Ben Gordon from all angles on the court
Hinrich sneaks one over YAO | Luol Deng isn't so luck vs McGrady
Briggs lights Duhon up | Yao crushes home 2 or his team-high 28 points
Briggs celebrates as Scott Skiles takes issue with the 20 point deficit
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WEEKLY RECAP
Last edited by
Clutch on Mon Nov 26, 2007 4:08 pm, edited 2 times in total.