Chicago Bulls Pummel, Then Destroy Philadelphia 76ers and Notes from the Web

It was almost like the Chicago Bulls wanted to make the 76ers pay for the sins of the Los Angeles Clippers. They came out strong and constantly pushed the first half. At half the lead was already 18 points, but then things go serious. The Bulls stepped up the pressure even more in the second half, and by the time the dust settled it was the worst beating the Bulls had ever delivered to Philadelphia. 

The amazing thing was, that the game wasn't as close as the score might indicate. The Bulls played with the far side of their bench for most of the fourth quarter, and prior to that the lead was extended past 50.

The Bulls dominated in every aspect of the game, leading in fastbreak points by 28-9. In spite of missing their starting center, Joakim Noah, and his replacement, Taj Gibson, the Bulls outscored the 76ers in the paint by a margin of 52-26. They shot 64.5 percent from the field to Philadelphia's 35 percent. Coming into the game the 76ers were second in the NBA in opponent's field goal percentage. 

Chicago has shown consistent improvement through the season and this game was the best, most complete effort yet. They yielded the second fewest points on defense and scored the second most on offense. 

Here are a few things I'm reading around the web that were interesting. 

From Adrian Worjnarowski: Another player the Nuggets will likely move is shooting guard J.R. Smith is making $6 million in the final year of his contract, and would love to end up with the Bulls, sources said.

So far, Denver has resisted Chicago’s overtures on Smith because it may need to include him in a larger deal with Anthony. Bulls GM Gar Forman has been calling league personnel to do more research on the temperamental Smith, sources said.

From the Trib: Taj Gibson was set to travel with the Bulls overnight to Washington and had a simple answer when asked whether he would return from his concussion to play Wednesday night against the Wizards.

"I'm playing," Gibson said. "For sure."

Of course, Gibson might say this with a gaping chest wound because it's his stock answer to any ailment. However, coach Tom Thibodeau supported the words of Gibson, who missed Tuesday night's game with the 76ers after colliding with DeAndre Jordan's knee in Saturday's loss to the Clippers.

A pretty funny look from the other side of the 76ers game and how it fits into their history. 

And here's a pretty good feel-good story about spreading a little holiday "Love." 

One last thing if you see stories about the Bulls signing Earl Baron don't "count" (get it earl, baron and count—do I get a LOL?) on them. The Bulls looked at him in October, but I haven't seen anything about them looking at him since he was cut by the Suns.