| One Time Bench Gets Big Time Win | ||||
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If you saw the first Bulls game of the season on Halloween, fell into a coma for the next three months, and then woke up to see the Bulls face the Warriors on Thursday night, you would think you’re seeing a totally different team. Four of the five starters from the opening game were not in the starting lineup on Thursday. Only Ben Wallace started both games for the Bulls. The Halloween starters of Gordon, Hinrich, Tyrus Thomas, and Luol Deng were replaced with the lesser known Thabo Sefolosha, Chris Duhon, Joe Smith, and Andres Nocioni. Although the latter four arent house-hold names to those outside of Chicago, they did, however, accomplish the main task that the opening season starters did not do: win the game. Duhon, the steady and usually defensive stalwart, made the most of his starting spot and scored a career 34 points on 11-of-16 shooting. Adding in nine assists for good measure, Duhon out-played his all-star-snubbed counterpart, Baron Davis, in leading the Bulls to the win. Joe Smith continued his recent high scoring by adding in 27 points and eight rebounds as well. Ever since he was bed-ridden and side-lined for three days, the twelve year vet has been on a rejuvenated string. Counting today and the prior two games, Smith has averaged about 23 points and 8 rebounds. Luckily for the Bulls they had Smith and Duhon picking up the scoring burden because the usually-stingy Bulls defense was a no-show, giving-up 108 points to the Warriors. Davis, Monta Ellis (25 points), and Al Harrington (20 points) led the Warrior offense but their charge was futile. In a blast from the past, once maligned Golden State player, Chris Webber, made his un-triumphant return to the Bay. Despite making trade demands to get out of Golden State and away from Don Nelson what seems to have been a lifetime ago, Webber started the game but his four points didnt put a dent in the box-score. With the Bulls sitting at a tie with the New Jersey Nets for the eighth and final playoff spot (if the season ended today), they dont have the luxury to relish this key win over a Western Conference foe. They end their six game Western Conference road trip with arguably the toughest game of the bunch: the Utah Jazz. A win over the Jazz would put the Bulls at .500 over the stretch and give them a winning streak as they come back home to Chicago for their next two games.
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