December 23rd, 2005
Chicago (110) at Memphis (107)
Late rally gives Bulls fifth straight win
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Boxscore ]
Chicago seemed to be down and out at the end of the third quarter after Ben Gordon left the game after injuring his thumb on a drive to the basket leading to a Grizzlies' run that resulted in a 90-79 lead heading into the fourth. But Chicago displayed their resilience, charging back in the fourth quarter including a late 10-2 run that gave them the lead for good.
Gordon returned in the fourth and played the entire quarter, scoring 9 points and finishing with 21. He struggled from downtown however, shooting 3/13 for the game and missed a dunk late in the fourth. Chicago also got a lift from Tyson Chandler, who scored 8 of his 14 in the final period.
Memphis got a surprising lift from Brian Cardinal, who shot 9/14 from the field for 19 points including a three pointer in which his feet appeared to be on the line. Bulls' coach Andrew Begley protested the ruling but to no avail. The three sparked a Memphis run that saw Bobby Jackson break down Chicago's interior defense to score six quick points, on route to the Grizzlies' seemingly commanding 11 point lead at the end of the third.
Pau Gasol left the game early after colliding with Shawn Kemp but returned and finished with 25 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks. His efforts would not be enough though, as the Bulls played tight defense in the fourth limiting the Grizzlies to 17 points and got to the line early and often, connecting on all of their fourth quarter free throw attempts.
December 24th
Hinrich, Gordon day-to-day: may sit
CHICAGO, IL -- The holiday season has brought some bad tidings for the Bulls as they learned Kirk Hinrich has been cleared to play but is still suffering soreness in his neck from an injury sustained two weeks ago. Adding to their injury woes, Ben Gordon is also being listed as day-to-day after injuring his thumb during the third quarter of last night's 110-107 victory of the Memphis Grizzlies.
Hinrich was expected to be back in the lineup for the Bulls' game against the Cavaliers on Boxing Day but is now questionable. Reports are circulating that Ben Gordon might also sit out as a precautionary measure, leaving the Bulls without their leading scorer. Cleveland currently holds the best record in the East at 19-6. Chicago defeated the Cavaliers two nights ago but face a tough challenge without their starting backcourt.
Gordon is averaging 30.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg and 6.1 apg through the first 27 games of the season. Hinrich, who has missed the last five games, is leading the team in assists with 8.1 per game in addition to 15 ppg (third best on the team), 2.4 rpg and a team high 1.3 spg. Chicago is currently 16-11, second best in the Central Division.
December 24th, 2005
Gasol to miss time
MEMPHIS, TN -- The injury bug has bitten the Grizzlies again, as Pau Gasol joins Mike Miller on the sidelines after spraining fingers on his shooting hand in the Grizzlies' 110-107 loss to the Chicago Bulls last night. The injury may force the star forward to miss up to four weeks. Miller is expected to be out at least another nine games.
Coach's Diary
December 24th - Bah Humbug!
Even though it's hard not to feel jolly at this time of year, I can't help but feel someone's left a lump of coal in all our stockings. We showed great heart and determination pulling out the win against the Grizzlies and Kirk has been cleared to play, but at this point we don't want to risk losing him for even longer so he likely won't be suiting up against Cleveland. We also want to play it safe with Ben, so I don't know if he'll be in action either. Both are great competitors and I know they're as unhappy about sitting out as we are to lose them, but we are all concerned about the risk. If both are out of action for the moment, I think I'll bring Tyson into the starting five and have Luol slide over to guard.
Boxing Day could be a very challenging game, but if we are to establish ourselves as a force to be reckoned with in the East, we'll need to find a way to overcome these obstacles and rise to meet these challenges.