Bulls wrap up road trip with big win over 76ers
Staff , The State Journal-Register
PHILADELPHIA — Derrick Rose seems unfazed by the rigorous NBA schedule. In the final stop on a seven-game, 12-day road trip which began Nov. 18 in Los Angeles against the Lakers, the 20-year-old No. …
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State Journal-Register
PHILADELPHIA — Derrick Rose seems unfazed by the rigorous NBA schedule.

In the final stop on a seven-game, 12-day road trip which began Nov. 18 in Los Angeles against the Lakers, the 20-year-old No. 1 overall pick in the draft still had plenty of energy.

Ben Gordon scored 21 points, Drew Gooden had 20 points and 12 rebounds, and the Chicago Bulls rallied from an early deficit for a 103-92 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday.

Rose contributed 18 points and 10 assists and reached double figures in assists for the first time this season. Reserve Larry Hughes had 16 points for the Bulls (8-9), who won for only the third time in 10 games on the road.

All three of Chicago’s road wins came during this stretch.

“We got the ball in his hands in transition and he was finding guys,” Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said of Rose.

Rose entered the game averaging 5.8 assists, the best mark among rookies.

“I’m feeling good and taking it game by game,” said Rose, who played a team-high 40 minutes. “We’re moving the ball and finding the open person.

We’re playing team basketball and that’s what it’s all about.”

Elton Brand had 21 points and 12 rebounds, and Thaddeus Young added 17 points for the reeling Sixers, who have lost four straight to fall to 7-10.

Andre Miller had 15 points and 10 assists for Philadelphia, and Willie Green chipped in with 12 points. Lanphier High School graduate Andre Iguodala scored just eight points for the Sixers on 3-of-9 shooting from the field.

Philadelphia scored a season-low 78 points in a 24-point loss at Boston on Friday and has been held below the 100-point mark in seven consecutive games.

“We’ve got to step it up,” Brand said. “We’ve lost two games in a row where the other team has taken it to us.”

The Bulls held a 71-66 lead late in the third before running off 12 straight points to take an 83-66 advantage at the end of the quarter. Rose had six of the 12 points, including a high-flying, one-handed dunk with 32 seconds remaining.

“I think by us spreading out the basketball the way we did, we were really consistent with our effort in the zone and we got in transition,” Del Negro said.

After a 3-pointer by Hughes gave the Bulls a 92-73 lead with 7:21 left, the fans booed and a large throng of them began to vacate the arena. When the game ended, the boos careened down once again.

“We have to get ourselves back in the mind-set of defending,” Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks said.

The Sixers led by as many as 15 points in the first half before Chicago went on a 14-0 run to cut the lead to 41-40 on a basket by Luol Deng with 4:57 remaining.

Philadelphia finished the half strong and held what would wind up being a short-lived 55-52 lead.