[dropcap]M[/dropcap]ike Dunleavy enjoyed his best game in two years and played a pivotal role in the third quarter as the Bulls survived the Philadelphia 76ers 118-115.
The first quarter was all offense, as every player that saw action for both teams scored at least two points. Noah returned to action after missing the previous game with flu like symptoms. He ended the night with 5 points and 9 rebounds in 30 minutes of action. Rose sat out the game to rest his ankles once again. The Bulls scored 33 against 28 by Philly, paced by Jimmy Butler who scored 13 of his 23 total in the first quarter.
The Sixers were getting to all the loose balls and outrebounded the Bulls on the offensive end, carving out a 9 point lead midway through the 2nd period. Tony Wroten had the green light all night on his way to a career high 31 points. With the Bulls down 49-40, Pau Gasol, Dunleavy, and Kirk Hinrich combined to close the fourth quarter on a 17-8 run to forge a tie at 57 apiece by halftime.
The Bulls came out hot in the 3rd quarter. With Wroten keeping the Sixers close, Dunleavy opened things up a bit for the Bulls as he went 4 of 6, including 3 of 4 from the 3-pointers stripe for a total of 12 points. The Bulls stretched their lead to as much as 78-64 before settling for a 92-76 lead heading into the final period.
The Bulls appeared is if they would just calmly march their way to another victory, but Philadelphia had other plans. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Hollis Thompson, and Henry Simms powered a Philadelphia team that scored a whopping 39 points in the period. The Bulls appeared to have the game locked up when they went up 109-93 with 6:20 to go in the game. The Sixers weren’t quite finished. A spirited Philadelphia team went on a 13-3 run down the stretch to cut a once 16 point lead to one, at 116-115 with five seconds remaining in the game on a 3-pointer by Chris Johnson. Hinrich was fouled, and sank two free throws to give the Bulls a three point lead with 2.1 seconds remaining. Johnson missed a half-court shot as time expired, giving the Bulls a 118-115 victory.
With their fourth straight victory, the Bulls moved to 4-0 on the road and 5-1 over-all. Philadelphia moves to 0-6 on the season which matches their 1972-73 record. That season, the Sixers set a record for futility concluding the season at 9-73.
The Bulls conclude their 4 game in 5 night stretch as they head home to face the Boston Celtics at the United Center. The Celtics come in to Chicago at 2-3 after a 101-98 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Friday night.
