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Friday, Dec. 10 8:30pm ET
Bulls, Brand 'stop the bleeding' | |||||
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
CHICAGO (AP) -- Before the game, Randy Brown pulled Elton Brand aside and said the Chicago Bulls had to "stop the bleeding." This losing thing was getting tiresome. Consider the Bulls Brand-Aided. Brand hit a 5-foot jumper and a free throw in the final 30 seconds, and Dickey Simpkins got in the way of Stephon Marbury's driving layup Friday night as the Chicago Bulls held on for a 71-69 victory over the New Jersey Nets. "It's definitely a relief," said Brand, who led the Bulls with 16 points and 14 rebounds. "We were sliding, game after game, so it's definitely good for our confidence." The victory kept Chicago from setting a franchise low in futility at the start of the season -- less than four years after winning an NBA-record 72 games. The Bulls, who snapped a 10-game losing streak, are now 2-15, the same as the 1967-68 after 17 games. That team went on to win 29 games and make the playoffs. "We understand what's going on and we're aware of the records," B.J. Armstrong said. "When you play hard, good things happen. I was just happy this team hung in there and kept fighting." Ron Artest added 14 points and a career-high seven assists for the Bulls, and Corey Benjamin scored 11. Keith Van Horn led the Nets with 19 points and 11 rebounds, while Marbury had 18 and Kerry Kittles scored 17. The loss snapped a two-game winning streak for the Nets. "We played defense tonight," Marbury said. "We just couldn't execute offensively." The Bulls blew a 13-point, first-half lead -- their largest of the season -- but they got the points that mattered at the end of the game. After trailing by as much as eight in the second half, Brown hit two free throws and then connected on a 20-foot jumper from the top of the key to tie the game at 65 with 4:06 left. After a layup by Van Horn, Brand hit a 6-foot jumper, pumping his fist as the shot dropped. The Bulls and Nets traded misses until Brand, who missed Wednesday's game with a hip pointer, knocked in his short, go-ahead jumper with 30 seconds left. "My adrenaline was pumping, but I was in pain," Brand said. "Not enough to stop me, though." Marbury drove to the basket for what should have been an easy layup, but Simpkins blocked his way. Marbury knocked him over and got called for the charge. That brought the Bulls bench and the screaming crowd to their feet. "I didn't think it was an offensive foul, of course," Marbury said. "When I was in the air is when he came over on me. You have to let me come down. I know when they play that over, that is what it will show." No way, Simpkins said. "It was a good defensive stop," he said. "I had my feet set. If they didn't make that call in my favor, it'd be like boxing these days." The Nets fouled Brand with 17 seconds left, and he made the second of two free throws to put the Bulls up 70-67. Marbury tried for a 3-pointer from the left wing, but the ball didn't even hit the rim. He did make a layup at the buzzer, but it was too late. "This is obviously a major disappointment and a big speed bump in the road for us," Nets coach Don Casey said. "We just didn't get any good offense tonight. Give them credit. Tim had his players up tonight, especially on the defensive end." The Bulls had one of their finest halves of the season to open the game, taking a 37-24 lead with 7:25 left in the second quarter. But after a timeout, the Bulls went cold and the Nets went on a 12-2 run. The Bulls finally stopped the run with a layup by Randy Brown, but the once-big lead was down to 41-36. A pair of free throws by Johnny Newman and one by Marbury cut the lead to 41-39 at the half. Game notesThe Bulls outrebounded the Nets 54-38. ... Neither team shot particularly well, with the Nets going 27-of-72 (38 percent) from the floor and the Bulls going 27-of-75 (36 percent). ... Hersey Hawkins' streak of 527 games came to an end Friday. Hawkins sat out the game with a torn muscle in his left calf. | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard New Jersey Clubhouse Chicago Clubhouse Calf injury halts Hawkins' streak of 527 games played
RECAPS Boston 100 Houston 96
Chicago 71
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