Chicago 112, New York 100
[ Boxscore ]
Crawford faced off against his former teammates for the second straight game
With both teams donning retro uniforms, the game turned into an old fashioned Bulls/Knicks showdown.
The Knicks, gaining new energy in front of their home fans, raced out to an early lead which they held through the first quarter. Chicago was dealt an early blow when Curry picked up his third foul eight minutes into the game, forcing him to take a seat for the remainder of the first half.
Jamal Crawford lit up his former team for 19 first half points, matching his total from the game in Chicago. He and Ben Gordon engaged in a scoring battle in the second half with saw Crawford finish with 30 points, while Gordon finished with 26. Gordon also drew a couple of fouls on Crawford which forced him to sit for most of the fourth quarter.
Chicago would overtake New York in the third quarter, and never relinquished the lead. With Crawford on the bench and Marbury struggling from the field, Chicago ran out a double digit advantage which they held until the final buzzer.
Current Record: 21-14
Next Opponent: Atlanta Hawks
January 19th, 2005
Chicago 93, Boston 84
[ Boxscore ]
Boston once again caused the Bulls problems, but ultimately couldn't defend their home court as Ben Gordon scored 30 points to lead Chicago to a 93-84 victory.
Paul Pierce had 32 points on a blistering 15/22 field goals, scoring 20 of his 32 in the first half. But star rookie Ben Gordon shone for the Bulls in the second half. Having only scored 3 points on 1/3 shooting in the first two quarter, Gordon exploded for 16 points in the third quarter and added 11 more in the fourth as Chicago ran away with the game.
The Celtics led 26-21 at the first quarter break after seldom used reserve Frank Williams fouled Gary Payton on a three point attempt. Payton, who sat out the previous game while recovering from bone spurs in his foot, made two of the three free throws and would finish with 10 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists on the night, though he shot 4/21 from the field.
Chicago remained close and tied the game by halftime thanks to the play of Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler, who scored most of their combined 26 points in the first half. Ricky Davis had another great game against Chicago with 23 points and 8 rebounds but did not get many touches in the second half.
The two teams will meet again in 10 days and a fourth and final time in the regular season on March 25th.
Current Record: 22-14
Next Opponent: Atlanta Hawks
January 21st, 2005
Chicago 110, Atlanta 101
[ Boxscore ]
Chicago overcame a 22 point deficit in the second quarter to defeat the Hawks 110-101 in the United Center to take their fourth straight victory.
Both teams began the game slowly but the Hawks found their rhythm late in the first quarter while Chicago continued to struggle. Atlanta held a 9 point lead after the first twelve minutes and soon ran the deficit up to double digits, leading by as many as 22 during the second quarter. However, the Bulls refused to quit and struck back with swarming defense and uptempo offense that cut the lead to 7 heading into the second half.
The Bulls continued their run in the third, taking the lead by the end of the quarter. Though Atlanta would reclaim the lead during the fourth, the Bulls stormed back and the teams traded baskets throughout the final three minutes, with Chicago holding onto a slim advantage. Finally the Hawks were forced to foul, allowing the Bulls to seal the game from the free throw line.
Tyson Chandler led the Bulls' attack in the second half, scoring 18 of his 26 points. Ben Gordon also had 26 points for the game and Eddy Curry had a game high 29 points. Antoine Walker shot 12/16 from the field and scored 28 points to go along with 6 rebounds.
Current Record: 23-14
Next Opponent: Detroit Pistons
