December 28th, 2006
Chicago (111) at Toronto (107)
Bulls win sixteenth straight, but lose Deng[
Boxscore ]
Traded for one another in November, Mike James and Chris Duhon both had a point to proveEven though he was limited to just 28 minutes due to foul trouble, the Chicago Bulls got a good look at Chris Bosh, a free agent they are likely to be courting come this offseason. Bosh scored 27 points and grabbed nine rebounds including seven at the offensive end as the Raptors delivered a spirited performance but it would not be enough as the Bulls withstood poor shooting and a fourth quarter run to win their sixteenth straight game, 111-107.
Approaching the franchise's all-time record for consecutive wins, the Bulls quickly discovered that the Raptors had no intention of being steamrolled at home as they found themselves struggling to keep pace and in early foul trouble. Ben Gordon was forced to leave the game with 8:53 remaining in the first quarter having picked up two quick fouls, however the Bulls soon recaptured the lead behind the hot shooting of Kyle Korver, who scored 12 points in the period.
Gordon returned to score 10 points in the second as the teams continued to trade slim leads, but taking an early seat appeared to disrupt his shooting rhythm. Fresh off a 51 point game where he shot 19/30 from the field and made eight three pointers, Gordon finished with 19 points shooting 7/24 from the field and just 2/11 from beyond the arc. Bosh was spectacular for the Raptors in the first half however, crashing the boards and slipping by Carlos Boozer for easy baskets, finishing the second quarter with 18 points as Toronto trailed by two at the half, 61-59.
The third quarter began badly for the Bulls as Luol Deng was forced to leave the game with an apparent elbow injury at the 11:06 mark following a collision with Bosh and did not return. Chicago recovered however and led by Hinrich's 10 points in the period they outscored Toronto 30-17 and appeared to have the game in hand heading into the fourth quarter.
Toronto were far from down however as former Bull Chris Duhon led a charge that saw the Raptors quickly erase the Bulls' double-digit lead, which had swelled to as many as fifteen during the third quarter. Duhon finished with 16 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds but also committed eight turnovers. The Raptors at one point cut the deficit to three but the Bulls ultimately would not relinquish the lead as Gordon made two free throws that put the Bulls up 109-104 with just under ten seconds remaining. Kirk Hinrich then deflected a pass by Tyronn Lue into the backcourt and out of bounds, running precious seconds off the clock. Korver then intercepted a pass intended for Morris Peterson, forcing the Raptors to foul and put him on the line where he made both for a 111-104 lead. Rookie Declan Akinwade, who had an impressive nine point, five rebound performance in just five minutes of play, then made a three pointer as time expired to close the gap for a final score of 111-107.
Korver led the Bulls with 24 points off the bench, shooting 9/16 from the field. Carlos Boozer registered yet another double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds, scoring 10 of his points in the fourth quarter. Kirk Hinrich had a fine all-around game with 18 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 4 steals. Mike James added 13 points and 3 assists off the bench against his former club. For the Raptors, rookie Liu Kuffour tallied a double-double with 14 points and 11 assists while Morris Peterson had 18 points and seven assists.
Notes: Chicago won the battle of the boards, grabbing 47 rebounds to 41 by the Raptors including a 20-14 edge on the offensive glass...both teams made twelve free throws, with the Bulls attempting sixteen and the Raptors attempting fifteen...Toronto assisted on 27 of their 45 field goals. The Bulls tallied 21 assists on 46 field goals...the Bulls are now two wins shy of their all-time record of eighteen consecutive wins, set during the historic 1995/1996 season.
Current Record: 23-4
Next Game: vs Oklahoma City Thunder; 16-13 (December 30th)
December 29th, 2006
Deng to miss two weeks with sprained elbowCHICAGO, IL -- Bulls' starting small forward Luol Deng is expected to miss up to two weeks with a sprained right elbow. The injury occurred with 11:06 remaining in the third quarter of Chicago's 111-107 victory over the Raptors in Toronto last night when Deng attempted to block a layup attempt by Chris Bosh, resulting in a hard collision that sent both players to the floor. While Bosh was quick to get up, Deng landed awkwardly and emerged grimacing and clutching at his arm. He sat out the rest of the game and while x-rays were negative, further tests indicated a moderate sprain.
Deng is averaging 12.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg and 2.3 apg while shooting 55% from the field. Kyle Korver, acquired in a trade with the Philadelphia 76ers back in November, is expected to start in his place.