The question of whether or not Bulls' forward Tyrus Thomas had the flu when the team sent him home this week is now irrelevant. Thomas will miss the next four to six weeks after fracturing his forearm during a workout yesterday. According to the Tribune:
Last night, the Bulls dug themselves a big hole early on by rallied in the second half to bounce the Bucks 83-81. The Bulls' offensive struggles of the past few games carried over into last night as they shot 27 percent, mustering an unsightly 29 points in the entire first half and found themselves down by 14 at the break. The Milwaukee lead grew to as much as 18 over halfway through the third, but then Chicago finally got things going, sparked by Jannero Pargo coming off the bench, kicking off a 12-0 run to close to gap to four by the end of the third; the team wound up scoring 45 points over the game's final 18 minutes. Luol Deng had the best performance for the struggling Bulls with 24 points and 20 rebounds; Joakim Noah had only four points but pulled down 12 rebounds and Derrick Rose, who started but played fewer minutes, scored 16. The Bulls get a night off and then head to Cleveland to take on LeBron and the Cavs tomorrow night (7 p.m., TNT).
It was a slow night in Chicago sports with all teams off, giving sports fans in the city a chance to catch our collective breath. But there's plenty coming up for the rest of this week. Here's what's on tap for our (pro) sports team through the rest of the week.
We've been remiss in, until now, pretty much ignoring the Chicago Wolves. That changes today. The Wolves skated past Rockford 3-2 last night in a shootout victory. Tim Stapleton and Spencer Machacek scored the Wolves' goals in regulation and Stapleton netted the only goal in the shootout to give Chicago the victory. Goalie Manny Legace had 32 saves in regulation but, more importantly, had saves on all five of Rockford's attempts in the shootout. Former Blackhawks star Chris Chelios was credited with assists on both Wolves goals.
With the season opener just days away now, the Chicago Bulls are making a few small maneuvers to get all their ducks in a row before they tip off Thursday night. The Tribune reports that the team has named Kirk Hinrich, Luol Deng and Lindsey Hunter as team captains for the 2009-2010 season. Also, in a move that surprises no one, the team picked up the options on contracts for Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, ensuring that the pair will be under contract through the 2010-2011 season. Speaking of Rose, it looks like he'll get some playing time during Thursday night's opener, but don't expect much from him in the first few weeks as he continues to recover from an ankle injury.
The Bulls wrapped up a successful preseason - one they played for a good part without start Derrick Rose - by whooping the Washington Wizards 93-70. Tyrus Thomas led the team with 19 points and grabbed six rebounds while Joakim Noah also had a good game with 13 points and 16 rebounds and Brad Miller chipped in 18 off the bench. The Bulls got off to an ice cold start, missing 16 of their first 18 shots, but Thomas paced the Bulls in the second, scoring 12 points, and the Bulls started the second half with a 17-0 run to jump out to a huge lead. The Bulls finished the preseason 6-2 and are now off until their season opener against San Antonio on Thursday (7 pm, TNT). Benjy will be up Monday with our season preview.
The Chicago Bulls have had a hot start to the preseason but they were downed last night by the defending Eastern Conference Champion Orlando Magic by a 101-98 final. John Salmons led all scorers, putting up 19 points in the losing effort; Kirk Hinrich added 18 and Brad Miller tacked on 15 off the bench. With almost a minute-and-a-half left to play, the Bulls were up by three over the Magic - who remain undefeated in the preseason - but Orlando rattled off a 7-0 run to take a lead they wouldn't relinquish, hitting key free throws to keep the Bulls at bay. With a 5-2 preseason record, the Bulls have one preseason game left - this Friday at home against the Wizards (7 p.m., CSN) - before opening their 2009-2010 regular season on October 29.
The Chicago Bulls continued their hot preseason, completing a home-and-home sweep of the Minnesota Timberwolves with a 94-90 victory Friday night at the United Center. Tyrus Thomas, playing for the first time in four games, led all scorers with 22 points. Taj Gibson added 14 for the Bulls. Despite leading most of the game, the Bulls saw the T-Wolves notch the game at 87-87 with less than a minute to go. But the Bulls hit some key free throws in the waning seconds to push ahead for the win. Said Thomas of his return, "It was good to just come out and play, have some fun and to get the win." Things didn't go so well for the T-Wolves' Kevin Love, who's out for a while after breaking a bone in his non-shooting hand. The Bulls only have a pair of preseason games left; the first is next Monday at home against Orlando (7 p.m., CSN).
The Blackhawks kept their hot start to the season going by winning their third game in a row and remaining unbeaten at home with last night's 4-3 victory over Edmonton. Patrick Sharp opened up the game with a goal in the first minute of play to give the 'Hawks an early lead. Edmonton answered less than two minutes later but Jack Skille would score as well to give Chicago a 2-1 edge. Kris Versteeg added a goal in the second period to give the 'Hawks a 3-1 edge, but it would take a Cam Barker power play goal late in the third to give the 'Hawks enough room to escape with the win in regulation. The Blackhawks sent a barrage of shots - 38 total - towards Oilers goalie Nikolai Khabibulin, who just last year helped the 'Hawks to the Western Conference finals. Said the Bulin Wall after the game, "It was weird to be on the other side. They actually have become a pretty good team." Pretty good is right; at 4-1-1 in the young season, the 'Hawks sit alone atop the division. The team is on the road tonight in Nashville (7 p.m., CSN).
It was pretty exciting, even if it was a preseason game, as the Bulls edged the Milwaukee Bucks 87-86 last night at the United Center. The Bulls only dressed ten players as a variety of injuries kept five Bulls sidelined. Joakim Noah led the team with 20 points and pulled down an impressive 16 rebounds while Taj Gibson added 15 points and Kirk Hinrich scored 13. Up by six with two minutes to play, the Bulls let the Bucks pull even, but Jannero Pargo hit the go-ahead free throw with 24 seconds left and the Bucks couldn't get anything to fall in the waning moments of the game. The Bulls continue their preseason tonight in Minnesota tonight to take on the Timberwolves (7 p.m., CSN+).
The Chicago Blackhawks gave fans their money's worth at last night's home opener, edging the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 in a dramatic nine-round shoot-out win. The Blackhawks got on the board first thanks to a power play goal from Cam Barker. The Avalanche, however, bounced back in the second period with the next two goals to take a 2-1 edge. From there, the two teams exchanged goals as a total of five goals were scored in the second, ending with the teams tied at 3-3 (the 'Hawks got goals from Andrew Ladd and Duncan Keith). After a scoreless third period and overtime period, the teams moved to a shoot-out. The two teams extended the shoot-out to a ninth frame, the longest shoot-out in Blackhawks' history, when a goal by Andrew Ladd gave the 'Hawks a 4-3 shoot-out edge and a 4-3 win. Cristobal Huet stopped 16 of 19 shots he faced in regulation and overtime and came through with some key saves in the shoot-out, stopping 6 of 9 shots. The Blackhawks next welcome Calgary to town on Monday (7 p.m., VS).
As we head into the holiday weekend, there's a bit of sports news to catch up on.
As word spread yesterday that Phoenix and Cleveland were working on a trade that would send Shaquille O'Neal to the Cleveland Cavs where he would presumably help out LeBron James, there were plenty of other teams being tossed around. Including our Bulls. Even though ESPN didn't list the Bulls as a major player in the "Shaq Sweepstakes" - and one has to wonder how much a winner the team that lands the 37-year-old O'Neal would really be - The Arizona Republic says otherwise.
The Los Angeles Clippers came away the big winner after last night's NBA Draft lottery. It was only the second time in 11 years that the Bulls didn't have a ping pong ball in play, but that doesn't mean they might not profit. According to the Trib's K.C. Johnson:
...would NOT smell as sweet. Rookie-of-the-Year Derrick Rose made an appearance at the adidas Sport Performance Store in Water Tower Place on Saturday to thank his fans and sign some schwag. Rose first addressed a large crowd in front of the entrance, expressing his gratitude for their support this season. After the thank-yous and a brief ceremony in which Rose dedicate a signed jersey to the store, Derrick made his way to a table in the back and hunkered down for two hours of signing autographs. In order to get the star's signature fans first had to obtain a wristband, which were distributed earlier in the day on a first-come, first-serve basis. The initial wristband was awarded shortly after the doors opened at 10 a.m., and by 12:30 p.m. all 200 had been distributed.
We're serious about our sports teams here in Chicago and with both the Bulls and Blackhawks battling in the postseason, we're not the only ones following the action. The Field Museum is showing their love for our playoff players as well. According to the Field: "The Chicago Blackhawks jersey will now be on the Museum’s Dissemination of Knowledge statue, an nine-foot high figure of a woman reading to a baby, located in the northeast corner of Stanley Field Hall. The baby will be dressed as the Blackhawks fan. The Chicago Bulls jersey will now adorn the Museum’s Pterodactyl hanging from the ceiling of Stanley Field Hall outside of our Evolving Planet exhibition."
The Chicago Bulls finished the regular season with a 109-98 loss to the Toronto Raptors at the United Center on Wednesday. Toronto, who never trailed in the contest, established a 14-point lead by the end of the first quarter and did not look back. The Raptors' Shawn Marion was red hot, making 15 of 18 field-goal attempts, scoring 34 points, and snagging 11 boards. The Raptors out-rebounded the Bulls by 30 on Chicago's offensive end of the court, limiting second-chance opportunities for the home team. Ben Gordon and Derrick Rose scored 23 and 20 respectively for Chicago, and Brad Miller earned a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. The loss, combined with Philly's win over Cleveland, dropped Chicago to the seventh spot in the East. That means the Bulls will face the potentially K.G.-less Boston Celtics in the first round of the NBA playoffs, which tip-off Saturday afternoon.
The Chicago Bulls won a big game in Detroit on Monday, 91-88, extending their win streak to five games and improving their postseason positioning. The Pistons took the lead late in the second quarter and did not relinquish their advantage until the game’s final seconds, when Ben Gordon drove past three defenders for the game-winning basket. Gordon’s deuce was the crown jewel in a 12-3, six-minute run, which was fuelled by 10 points from Derrick Rose. Rose finished with a team-high 24, and Joakim Noah recorded his second-straight double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds. The victory ensures that the Bulls will finish better than eighth in the conference standings, and guarantees at least a .500 season. A win on Wednesday versus Toronto and a loss by Philly to either Boston or Cleveland will secure the Bulls the sixth seed in the playoffs.
Since its announcement in February, Chicago sports fans have been awaiting today's launch of ESPNChicago -- the sports network's first city-specific website. Why start with Chicago? While it made sense for HuffingtonPost to choose the Second City as its first local site, given the city's steep political history and well-known shenanigans, Chicago is perhaps not quite so obvious a choice for ESPN. Sure, we may think we're the best sports city in the land -- what other city's fans will sit through a blizzard on baseball's Opening Day or fill an arena to watch a 13-69 basketball team? But we can hear the objections from Boston and New York all the way here in the Middle West.
It's short notice, but with the Bulls just a win away from clinching a playoff spot, the team is playoff putting tickets on sale today at 11 a.m. via Ticketmaster and 1-800-4NBA-TIX. Tickets will be sold for the first two rounds and will offer seven potential home games. Prices for the first round will range from $12 to $145 and prices for the second round will start at $18 and go up to $155. In case you're curious, if the playoffs started today, the Bulls would face the Celtics in Round One; the Celtics won the season series 2-1.
The Chicago Bulls continued to cruise on their home court with a 113-99 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday. The game was tightly contested until midway through the third, when the Bulls began to slowly amass a lead. That lead reached 10 by the end of the quarter and never seemed to be in jeopardy during the final period. Tyrus Thomas and Ben Gordon each scored 24 for Chicago, with Thomas shooting a perfect 14 of 14 from the free-throw line. The victory puts Chicago within striking distance of Philly in sixth and keeps them half a game ahead of the Detroit Pistons. Despite the Sixers' game-and-a-half lead, their final four games include two contests with Cleveland and a bout with Boston, leaving their sixth spot vulnerable. Chicago is now a win away from .500, a mark they last saw on November 17, and can officially secure a post-season berth with a victory over Charlotte on Saturday.
The Chicago Bulls were pestered by the New York Knicks on Tuesday but emerged victorious, by a score of 110-103. Chicago, trailing by five points early in the fourth quarter, used a three-minute, 15-0 run to turn the tide and take a double-digit lead. The Knicks were undeterred, however, and cut the deficit to one with under 30 seconds to play. Steady free-throw shooting and a timely blocked shot by Tyrus Thomas kept New York at bay, as the Bulls went on to win their second straight game. The key block on Quentin Richardson's three-point attempt was one of four Thomas, who also contributed 18 points and six rebounds. Teammate Kirk Hinrich led the scoring off the bench with 25. With four games remaining, Chicago sits in seventh place, a half game ahead of Detroit and two-and-a-half behind Philadelphia, who comes to town on Thursday.
The Chicago Bulls hung on to defeat the New Jersey Nets, 103-94, Saturday afternoon. The Bulls, who at one point led by 16, found themselves trailing 94-93 with just under three minutes to play. The Nets would not score another basket, however, as Chicago converted seven of eight from the free-throw line and got a big three from Ben Gordon to secure the win. Gordon scored 18 on the night to lead six Bulls into double figures. Chicago will host the Knicks on Tuesday and currently sit a half-game ahead of Detroit
The Bulls lost a thriller on Tuesday versus the Indiana Pacers, 107-105. This one was nip and tuck all the way, and with the score tied at 105 the Pacers' T.J. Ford drove into the paint and nailed a fadeaway jumper to take the lead. This left Chicago down two with only four seconds to play, and Ben Gordon couldn't connect on a hurried three-pointer as the Pacers held on for victory. The shot was one of six missed three-point attempts by Gordon, on an otherwise stellar shooting night for the Bulls. Derrick Rose finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds to lead the team, and Tyrus Thomas and Kirk Hinrich scored 20 apiece. John Salmons sat this one out with a groin injury; his status appears day-to-day. After dropping two straight on the road, the Bulls return to the United Center on Saturday to host the New Jersey Nets and kick off a much-needed four-game home stand.
The Chicago Bulls couldn’t pull off the comeback victory against Toronto on Sunday, falling 134-129 in OT. The Bulls, who were down 13 with just over five minutes to play, used 15 combined points from Derrick Rose and Ben Gordon to claw back into contention. Gordon’s biggest contribution was a last-second floater from just inside the arc that tied the game at 119 and forced the bonus period. In overtime, Chicago found themselves up one with under 30 seconds on the clock, but Chris Bosh’s three-point play and subsequent steal tipped the scales in Toronto’s favor. Gordon finished with 37 for the Bulls, and Rose tallied 23 points and nine assists. The loss drops Chicago back into eighth, one game behind Detroit.
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