NBA -- Hornets sting weary Bulls
By Homer D. Sayson
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 05 Nov 2012
CHICAGO -- One day after invading Cleveland and crushing the Cavaliers,114-85, the Bulls returned home on Saturday night with weary legs and an errant shooting percentage. It translated into a lackluster effort that led to an 89-82 defeat against the visiting New Orleans Hornets at the United Center.
Capitalizing on the Bulls' poor shooting and spate of early turnovers, the Hornets raced to a 10-2 bubble and set the game's tone. Although the Bulls would eventually close the gap at 21-18 after one quarter and 46-44 at the break, the Hornets' younger and fresher legs kept the Bulls on their heels.
Chicago made only 29 of 88 field goals (33 percent), a steep drop from the 63.8 percent clip they turned in over an overmatched Cavaliers team. The Bulls were dismal from 3-point land, 3-of-17, amd they clanked four of 25 free throws. The Hornets were just a little better -- 32 of 75 from the field, 5-of-18 from 3-land and 20 of 23 from the charity stripe.
Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau told the Chicago Tribune he didn't mind the abysmal shooting. But he did take issue with his team's defense, saying, "What bothered me was our approach to defensive transition.When you're not shooting well, you can't allow that to sap your energy in terms of getting back, setting your defense.Our rebounding was poor. And we missed a lot of layups."
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The 2-1 Hornets did not travel with No.1 draft pick Anthony Davis, a Chicago native who suffered a concussion Friday night against the Utah Jazz. But New Orleans barely missed their prized rookie as the team outrebounded the Bulls, 44-41.
Greivis Vasquez, a long 6-foot-6 point guard, led New Orleans with 18 points and six assists while Jason Smith and center Robin Lopez added 16 each. Ryan Anderson finished with 12 while Roger Mason Jr chipped in eight for a balanced Hornets offense.
Luol Deng had 19 for the Bulls, who dropped to 2-1. Nate Robinson drilled 15 while Joakim Noah logged 11 points and 11 rebounds. (Homer D. Sayson)
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