Thanks guys, glad you enjoyed the recap. Certainly would've liked it if I could've had another gamewinner for Gordon (he had one against the Pistons in the first season) but as it stands it was still a great result.
January 21st, 2007
Chicago (138) at Phoenix (86)
Bulls win by 52, extend streak to ten games[
Boxscore ]
The Phoenix Suns were on the wrong end of a record setting victoryTwo nights after a hard-fought overtime win in Utah, the Chicago Bulls turned in their most dominant performance of the season with a franchise-record 52 point win over the Phoenix Suns. Eight Bulls players scored in double figures led by Ben Gordon with 22, who also finished with five assists and two steals. Kirk Hinrich also scored 20 points for the Bulls while handing out 12 assists and making three steals. Rookie Emmet Smith led the Suns with 16 points off the bench while Eddie House also came off the bench to score 15 points in 32 minutes, spending more time than usual on the floor as Steve Nash sat with foul trouble.
The Bulls scored the first four points of the game and never looked back as they picked off errant passes, forced the Suns into three second violations and played lockdown defense. Tyson Chandler blocked three of his four shots in the first quarter alone and Deng scored 10 of his 12 points in the period as Chicago raced out to a commanding 37-15 lead heading into the second quarter. Phoenix, who committed 11 turnovers in the first quarter, turned the ball over a further twelve times in the second quarter and managed only 13 points to 27 by Chicago. They shot just 33% in the first half, including an abysmal 7/22 performance in the first quarter.
Chicago would continue to build on their impressive lead in the third quarter, more than doubling Phoenix's point total until late in the period when the Suns managed to start snaring some offensive rebounds and connecting on second chance baskets. Phoenix scored 26 in the third but could do little to contain Hinrich, who was a perfect 5/5 from the field in the third (including 3/3 from downtown) and also racked up five assists.
Carlos Boozer was the only Bulls starter to see time in the fourth quarter, as Chicago would increase their lead to as many as 60. Phoenix continued to dominate the offensive glass in the fourth quarter and primarily through second chance points managed to score 32 fourth quarter points. They ultimately would not close the gap though as the Bulls ran off 38 points in extend garbage time, for their tenth consecutive win and a record-setting margin of victory.
"It felt like everything was going our way," Gordon said after the game. "One of those nights where the basket looks like a hula-hoop. We saw how their offense stalled when Nash had to leave with those early fouls and we just took advantage." Nash played only 22 minutes, scoring two points while grabbing five rebounds and handing out just one assist. "We were embarrassed here tonight, plain and simple," a dejected Mike D'Antoni told reporters. "They showed up and played like the defending champions. We showed up and played like a YMCA league team." D'Antoni paused before adding "No, we didn't even play as well as that."
The Bulls have struggled at times with their three point shooting this season but were on target tonight, connecting on 11/23 attempts. Gordon, Hinrich, Steve Smith and Kyle Korver accounted for all 11 of the Bulls' three point baskets, making at least two each. Chicago also did an excellent job sharing the basketball as they assisted on 38 of their 56 field goals, with 12 assists coming in the first quarter alone. The Bulls also only committed 14 turnovers; Phoenix in contrast assisted on 14 of their 39 field goals and had 34 turnovers.
In addition to Ben Gordon and Kirk Hinrich, standout performers for the Bulls included Carlos Boozer (15 points, seven rebounds), Tyson Chandler (13 points, nine rebounds, four blocks), Mike James (11 points, 7 assists), Kyle Korver (13 points, 3/5 from downtown), Luol Deng and Steve Smith (12 points apiece). For the Suns, Shawn Marion contributed a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, James Jones scored 10 off the bench and Boris Diaw also scored 11.
Chicago will now look to extend their winning streak to 11 games against the Trailblazers in Portland on Thursday.
Notes: Chicago shot 62.9% 56/89) on the night while Phoenix shot just 41.1% (39/95) from the field...Phoenix held a 43-32 advantage in rebounding including a 21-6 edge on the offensive glass. The Suns out-rebounded the Bulls 30-10 in the second half, including twelve offensive rebounds in the third quarter...all 24 available players played in the game and scored at least two points. 13 players in total scored in double figures (eight for Chicago, five for Phoenix)...Ben Gordon is currently third in the league in scoring, posting an average of 24.7 ppg. Dirk Nowitzki leads the league with 25.4 ppg, followed by Baron Davis with 25.3 ppg...this is the second double digit winning streak for the Bulls this season. They won sixteen straight from November 25th to December 30th.
Current Record: 33-5
Next Game: @ Portland Trailblazers; 15-21 (January 25th)
That one was fun for a very different reason as the challenge became to hold Phoenix to as low a score as possible and trying for a record margin of victory. I don't mind having a game like this every now and again.