The AP reports: Derrick Rose matched Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record with 36 points in his playoff debut, adding 11 assists to lead the Bulls to a 105-103 overtime victory over the defending NBA champions in Game 1 of their best-of-seven first-round series… “I hope this is a wake-up call,” said Paul Pierce, who scored 23 points… Tyrus Thomas scored 16 points—making six of Chicago’s eight points in overtime, including the game-winning jumper with 51 seconds left in overtime. Joakim Noah, who was also making his postseason debut, scored 11 with 17 rebounds for the Bulls as they wrested the home-court advantage from Boston… Rajon Rondo scored 29 points with nine rebounds and seven assists for Boston, which was without Kevin Garnett and didn’t get what it needed from the rest of the Big Three, either.
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Rose, Gordon lead Bulls comeback win over Pistons
The AP reports: The Pistons blew another fourth-quarter lead in a 91-88 loss to the Chicago Bulls. The defeat means Detroit (39-42) will face top-seeded Cleveland in the first round of the playoffs… Derrick Rose scored 11 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter, while Ben Gordon added 19. Richard Hamilton led the Pistons with 25 points and Tayshaun Prince added 19… Detroit broke open a tie game with an 8-0 run late in the second quarter, and still held a 56-48 advantage at the intermission.
Gordon, Salmons lead Bulls over Bobcats 113-106
The AP reports: Ben Gordon scored 39 points, John Salmons finished with 19 after a slow start and the Bulls hit the .500 mark for the first time since mid-November with a 113-106 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Saturday night… Raymond Felton (26 points) and Boris Diaw (24 points) kept the Bobcats in it for 3 1/2 quarters. Charlotte, however, committed eight of its 16 turnovers in the fourth, and the Bulls pulled away… Gordon was 7-of-12 on 3-pointers in the game and scored 13 in the fourth, while Salmons had 11 after three quiet quarters.
Thomas, Gordon lead Bulls over 76ers, 113-99
The AP reports: There’s no denying the Bulls have come a long way in recent weeks, though. Tyrus Thomas and Ben Gordon each scored 24 points, and Chicago closed in on its fourth playoff appearance in five years with a 113-99 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night… Thomas set a season-high for points while converting a career-best 14 of 14 free throws. He scored 10 in the third quarter and Gordon added seven as the Bulls turned a 50-50 halftime tie into an 82-72 lead, before pulling away in the fourth for their 13th home win in 14 games… Andre Miller scored 20 points—none in the fourth quarter—and Andre Iguodala added 19 for the 76ers, who trail Miami by a game and lead Chicago by just 1 1/2.
Bulls sign DeMarcus Nelson
The Chicago Bulls today signed rookie guard DeMarcus Nelson for the remainder of the 2008-09 season.
Nelson joins the Bulls after playing 20 games in the NBA D-League this season, most recently with the Austin Toros. He has split the season with the Toros and the Bakersfield Jam. On the year, he has averaged 19.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 4.1 apg and 1.65 spg in 37.5 mpg. He has made .540 from the field, .420 on three-point field goals and .723 from the line. The 23-year-old Nelson is the 23rd Call-Up of the NBA D-League this season.
Undrafted out of Duke, the 6-4, 200-pound guard originally signed a free-agent contract with the Golden State Warriors on Sept. 9, 2008. He appeared in 13 games (five starts) with the Warriors, and averaged 4.1 ppg, 1.8 rpg and 1.0 apg in 13.2 mpg.
Following a four-year career with the Blue Devils, he left Duke as one of six players in school history to record over 1,300 points, 600 rebounds, 200 assists and 125 steals. In 124 collegiate contests, he averaged 10.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.8 apg and 1.17 spg in 26.2 mpg. He also shot .466 from the field, .373 from behind the arc and .586 from the free throw line. He earned ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors his senior season.
With Nelson’s signing, Chicago’s roster now stands at 15.
Hinrich scores 25 as Bulls beat Knicks 110-103
The AP reports: Kirk Hinrich scored 25 points to lead five players in double figures as the Bulls beat the upset-minded New York Knicks 110-103 Tuesday night. Chicago has won five straight and 12 of 13 at home—26 of 38 overall—and has a half-game edge on idle Detroit for the seventh playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Bulls also have a three-game lead on ninth-place Charlotte with four games left, including three at home… John Salmons scored 19 with six assists and six rebounds, Derrick Rose had 18 points and six assists, Tyrus Thomas had 18 points and four blocks, and Ben Gordon 17 points for the Bulls’ balanced scoring attack… Wilson Chandler scored 26 points to lead the Knicks, who were trying to win consecutive games for the first time since taking three in a row March 10-13. Al Harrington had 23 points, and David Lee added 17 points and 13 rebounds.
Bulls re-sign Linton Johnson for rest of season
The Chicago Bulls today signed forward Linton Johnson III for the remainder of the season. Johnson, a 6-8, 205-pound forward, has appeared in four games with the Bulls this season, and averaged 1.0 ppg in 5.3 mpg. He will be in uniform tonight when the Bulls host the New York Knicks at 7:30 p.m. at the United Center.
Johnson, a fifth-year pro, played in two games with the Charlotte Bobcats at the start of the 2008-09 campaign.
During the 2003-04 season, Johnson played in 41 games with Chicago and posted averages of 4.2 ppg and 4.5 rpg in 17.9 mpg. He has also enjoyed stints with the San Antonio Spurs (member of the 2005 NBA Championship team), New Jersey Nets, New Orleans Hornets, Toronto Raptors, Phoenix Suns and Bobcats. For his career, he has appeared in 147 games (27 starts) and posted averages of 3.9 ppg and 3.3 rpg in 14.2 mpg. He owns career shooting averages of .417 from the field and .699 from the line.
Johnson, 28, was undrafted out of Tulane University.
Chicago’s roster now stands at 14.
Jordan, Stockton, others to make Hall
The AP reports: It was only a matter of time, and now Michael Jordan is in the Hall of Fame. Jordan was elected to the class of 2009 Monday with David Robinson, John Stockton, Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan and Rutgers women’s coach C. Vivian Stringer. The announcement was made in Detroit, site of the men’s Final Four. Induction is Sept. 10-12 in Springfield, Mass., home of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Jordan’s Hall of Fame selection was a slam dunk after he retired as perhaps the greatest player in history.
Gordon leads Bulls over Nets, 103-94
The AP reports: Ben Gordon scored 12 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, John Salmons added 17 and the Bulls beat the New Jersey Nets 103-94 on Saturday for their eighth win in 11 games… “The thing with BG is there are not a lot of shots that he takes that you can say, ‘Oh that’s a terrible shot,’ because you know he’s capable of making it,” said Joakim Noah, who contributed 12 points and 10 rebounds… Brook Lopez led the fading Nets (31-45) with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Ryan Anderson scored 17 and grabbed 10 boards, but Vince Carter struggled with a sore left Achilles tendon after tweaking it in practice the previous day.
Big Ford game, Pacers beat Bulls 107-105
The AP reports: T.J. Ford’s shot with 3.9 seconds left gave the Pacers a 107-105 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night to tighten the race for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference. All-Star Danny Granger, who scored 31 points, had built a reputation this season for making clutch shots. Despite that, the Pacers knew they were going to their point guard… Ford finished with 22 points and nine assists as a reserve… Troy Murphy had 15 points and 12 rebounds after missing the previous three games with a strained medial collateral ligament in his left knee. Derrick Rose had 24 points and a career-high 11 rebounds, Kirk Hinrich had 20 points, seven assists and seven rebounds, and Tyrus Thomas added 20 points for the Bulls.