Losing to a team by 45 points doesn't exactly inspire the confidence that you can beat them the next time they're on schedule. Yet, the Sixer's actually believed they could when the Chicago Bulls came to the Wells Fargo center tonight and boy did they. For the 2nd straight night they shot over 50% from the field, as Jodie Meeks found his stroke again, at least for one night, drilling 4 threes and dropping a Sixer high 24. Meanwhile, Jrue Holiday continued to light it up with 19 and 6 assists, Elton Brand had 11 and 8 rebounds, Andres Nocioni had 11, and Lou Williams had another big 20 points off the bench. Once again the Sixer D wasn't great, as Chicago shot over 50% also, but it was effective, racking up 8 steals and 3 blocks, while forcing 15 turnovers. Ultimately, Derick Rose, Carlos Boozer, and Luol Deng all got theirs, with 27, 31, and 22 respectively, but they were the only Bulls who did. No other Bull scored over 7 points, and that was really the difference.
Both teams were on fire in the first half as they combined for 110 points. Chicago was just a touch better, as they took a 56-54 lead into the half. The Sixers then exploded in the 3rd quarter, outscoring Chicago 32-18 as Meeks got hot. So by the 4th quarter the Sixers led by 12 and appeared on their way to victory. However, like the Sixers, Chicago is a team that does not quit and they didn't tonight. In fact they got the Sixers to essentially bend under the pressure of the final minutes, as they rallied to within 3, with 38 seconds left. The Sixers then missed their next shot, but the former Bull, Andres Nociono, who broke his finger in the first half, came up with the huge rebound. He then sunk two free throws and that finally broke the Chicago momentum. Another Nocioni free throw and a couple Chicago misses later, and the Sixers had held on for a confidence building 105-99 win. With the win they move 15-21 overall and stay 8th in the Eastern conference. With an easy schedule coming up they now have the opportunity to reel off several wins in a row and should stay in 8th for a while. Go Sixers!
2 comments:
I cant believe the Sixers actually beat the Bulls after that last thrashing and it just goes to show you that the young team has some resilience and I'm liking it. Go Sixers.
-to ph1llysports
yeah same here.
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