March 28th, 2006
Orlando (85) at Chicago (93)
Bulls win fourth straight
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Boxscore ]
The Chicago Bulls overcame a poor shooting night from starting point guard Kirk Hinrich to defeat the Orlando Magic 93-85 in the United Center. Ben Gordon registered game highs of 24 points and 14 assists and scored 16 of the Bulls' 32 fourth quarter points leading them to their third straight win since his return from injury and fourth straight overall.
Veteran forward Grant Hill led the Magic with 19 points and had his team up by three at the end of the third quarter. Orlando looked strong early in the fourth but Gordon made a three pointer to put the Bulls up 77-76 then intercepted a pass intended for Steve Francis and pushed the ball up court, feeding Andres Nocioni for a dunk and a 79-76 advantage. The Bulls never looked back and led by as many as nine in the final two minutes.
Steve Francis and Deshawn Stevenson scored 14 points apiece for the Magic and Keyon Dooling added 10 points in 16 minutes off the bench. Andres Nocioni had 18 points and 6 rebounds for the Bulls, while Luol Deng had 14 points and 4 rebounds and Latrell Sprewell added 15 points in 18 minutes off the bench. Chicago outrebounded Orlando 43-33 including 15-9 on the offensive glass.
March 31st, 2006
Chicago (103) at Charlotte (90)
Gordon erupts for 61, leads Chicago to fifth straight win
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Boxscore ]
Ben Gordon was forced to sit for more than a month with a broken wrist. It seems the NBA is about to feel his wrath.
The second year player and only player to win the Sixth Man of the Year award as a rookie exploded for a career high 61 points against the Charlotte Bobcats, the second time he has topped the 60 point mark this season. Gordon was 22/38 from the field, dished out five assists and scored 20 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Bulls to a 103-90 victory of the Bobcats in Charlotte.
Kirk Hinrich once again struggled from the field, making only one of his 11 attempts. Latrell Sprewell went scoreless for the first time since signing with the Bulls and missed all six of his field goal attempts. With his teammates struggling Gordon managed to pick up the slack throughout the game, scoring 16 in the first quarter, 8 in the second (while handing out four of his five assists) and 17 in the third before his fourth quarter barrage.
"I knew it was going to be a big one for Ben tonight, after the start he had," said teammate Shawn Kemp. "We were struggling out there like we were a couple of weeks back, and I guess Ben's seen too much of that while he was out. He came out and played like a superstar tonight. He's going to be a fantastic player for years to come."
The Bobcats kept the game competitive for most of the first three quarters but fell behind by double digits by the end of the third and never really challenged through the final six minutes. Emeka Okafor, a teammate of Gordon's at UConn and last season's Rookie of the Year scored 16 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in the loss, and praised his former teammate after the game. "Ben was simply phenomenal tonight...to drop 61 points, that's insane. I'm proud of what he's been able to do this year," Okafor said before adding "I just wish he hadn't done it to us."
Chris Duhon left the game after injuring his hand in the third quarter and did not return. X-rays were negative but he is expected to be a gametime decision when the Bulls face the Celtics tomorrow in Chicago.
March Recap
Current Record: 41-31
Stats through March
April 1st, 2006
Monthly Awards for March
NEW YORK, NY -- Andrew Bogut and Chris Paul have once again earned top rookie honours having been named East and West Rookies of the Month for March. It is the fourth time both players have been named as the top rookie in each conference, with Bogut receiving the honour the last two months running while Paul is getting the nod for the third straight month. Bogut averaged 17.9 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 3.5 apg and 1.6 bpg as the Bucks went 7-8 while Chris Paul led the Hornets to a 5-10 record during and averaged 20.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 5.5 apg and 1.6 spg during the month of March.
Tracy McGrady was named Western Conference Player of the Month for the second straight time and the third time overall this season. McGrady is the league's leader in scoring (28.7 ppg) minutes (42.1 mpg) and averaged 27.9 ppg, 10.9 rpg, 7.1 apg, 1.3 bpg and 1.8 spg leading the Rockets to a 10-5 record. In the East, Paul Pierce took home Player of the Month honours for the second time this season posting averages of 29.6 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 5.1 apg and 1.6 spg as his Celtics went 5-11.
Standings
Northwest
Southwest
Pacific
Atlantic
Central
Southeast
Leaders
Points
Rebounds
Assists
Steals
Blocks
Field Goals
Three Pointers
Free Throws
Minutes
Playoff Race
EAST
1. Cleveland Cavaliers (50-21) -
Clinched Berth
2. Miami Heat (45-27) -
Clinched Berth & Division
3. Philadelphia 76ers (44-27)
4. Detroit Pistons (44-28)
5. New Jersey Nets (43-28)
6. Indiana Pacers (42-29)
7. Chicago Bulls (41-31)
8. Boston Celtics (34-38)
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9. Toronto Raptors (34-38)
10. Milwaukee Bucks (31-41)
WEST
1. San Antonio Spurs (53-19) -
Clinched Berth
2. Portland Trailblazers (41-30)
3. Phoenix Suns (39-33)
4. Dallas Mavericks (48-25) -
Clinched Berth
5. Houston Rockets (47-25) -
Clinched Berth
6. Memphis Grizzlies (45-28) -
Clinched Berth
7. Golden State Warriors (35-36)
8. Los Angeles Clippers (35-36)
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9. Denver Nuggets (35-38)
10. Sacramento Kings (35-38)