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16-8 (10-2)....6-21(1-11)
Venue: United Center, Chicago Illinois
Starting Line-ups:
Rose - Gibson - Boozer - Deng - Bogans
Davis - Griffin - Jordan - Gomes - Gordon
Team Leaders:
Points
Rebounds
Assists
Clippers-Bulls Preview - NBA - Yahoo! Sports
Despite injuries to some key players, the Chicago Bulls have managed to build a decent lead in the Central Division.
Looking to extend their season-high winning streak to eight games, the Bulls play their first of many without Joakim Noah on Saturday night against the Los Angeles Clippers in former Chicago coach Vinny Del Negro’s return to the United Center.
Chicago (16-8) went 9-6 while prized free agent Carlos Boozer missed the first month with a broken hand. The Bulls, who are 7-2 with Boozer and own a 4 1/2-game lead in the Central, also have played well while All-Star Derrick Rose(notes) deals with wrist, elbow and hip injuries.
Now, they must find a way to win without Noah, who is averaging career highs in points (14.0) and rebounds (11.7), but will miss eight to 10 weeks after he underwent surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right hand.
“It’s a blow,” general manager Gar Forman said. “Carlos was just getting back into the mix and they were getting used to playing together. We’ll get that back.”
Second-year forward Taj Gibson and veteran Kurt Thomas are expected to help fill the void left by Noah.
“We’re confident in the abilities of the guys that we have,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “We’ve got more than enough to win with. We have a number of players who can step up.”
Even without Noah, the Bulls might be in good shape to win eight in a row for the first time since a nine-game run March 19-April 2, 2005. Opponents have averaged 88.7 points during Chicago’s winning streak.
Facing Del Negro for the first time since he was fired in May could give the Bulls extra motivation.
The Bulls finished 41-41 and lost in the first round of the playoffs in each of Del Negro’s two seasons. The coach fell out of favor with some players and received little support from the front office during his tenure in Chicago. Notably, Del Negro and team president John Paxson had a postgame physical altercation on March 30 involving dispute over Noah’s playing time.
Del Negro, however, expresses no regrets.
“I’m very proud of the job that my staff and myself did in Chicago for two years,” he said.
Though Los Angeles (6-21) has one of the worst records in the NBA, it could be confident after winning both games against the Bulls last season. Eric Gordon scored 24 points in the Clippers’ 90-82 victory at the United Center in the teams’ most recent meeting Feb. 2.
The Clippers should arrive with some momentum after they snapped a 15-game road skid with a 109-88 win at Detroit on Friday.
“This was important,” said Blake Griffin, who had 24 points and 17 rebounds. “The first time you do something like this, now it is like you know how to do it, and know what it feels like. This gives us something to build on.”
The No. 1 overall pick from the 2009 draft who missed all of last season with a knee injury, Griffin has averaged 24.0 points and 13.9 rebounds while recording a double-double in 14 consecutive games.
Boozer, who had a season-high 34 points and added 12 boards in Chicago’s 110-93 win at Toronto on Wednesday, has averaged 22.8 points and 11.9 rebounds in his last nine games against the Clippers.
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http://atdhe.net/31001/watch-los-angeles-clippers-vs-chicago-bulls
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This is my first IGT -- Hopefully I start 1-0. :bulls:
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