Chicago Bulls Take Sole Possession of First Seed Behind Shooting of Keith Bogans
With Carlos Boozer out with an ankle sprain and Joakim Noah out with illness, the Chicago Bulls needed someone to step up and help Derrick Rose. In an unexpected plot twist, Keith Bogans had his best game as a Bulls, scoring 17 points as the Bulls drubbed the Washington Wizards 98-79 to move into sole possession of the first seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Bulls followed up their franchise record 18 three-point makes against the Utah Jazz in their previous game with 12 from behind the arc tonight. Even Kurt Thomas got into the act hitting his first one since 2005 as the buzzer sounded to end the first half.
Keith Bogans hit five three-pointers on 10 attempts and added a pair of free throws to score 17 points. He added in five rebounds, three assists and two steals. He also shut down Jordan Crawford in the second half who was red-hot in the first half. All in all it was without question the best game he's had as a Bull. Have the Bulls found their shooting guard?
Derrick Rose continued to build his MVP resume scoring 23 points, seven assists and three rebounds. Luol Deng also continued to play well with Boozer out, scoring 20 points and grabbing seven boards. Thomas had 15 rebounds to go with eight points while starting for Noah. In Boozer's place Taj Gibson grabbed 13 off the glass and added nine points.
On the Wizards side JaVale McGee got the triple double the hard way with 11 points, 12 rebounds and 12 blocked shots. That's the most blocks by one player since Keon Clark had 13 on March 23, 2001.
The Bulls won their seventh straight overall, and their 12th straight at home. Since February 7th they are 14-2 and have outscored their opponents by an average of 9.81 points per game. It was also the Bulls fourth straight win by 17 points or more.
Chicago's next game will be against the New Jersey Nets on the road Thursday night. The game should present more of a challenge than their record might indicate. Since acquiring Deron Williams the Nets have been playing better, and are currently on a five game winning streak, including last night's win over Boston.
