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NBA -- Bulls face tough Thunder test
By Alexander Gardunio
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 09 Nov 2012
CHICAGO --- Despite a minor hiccup, which saw them tumble against the New Orleans Hornets last Saturday night at the United Center, the Chicago Bulls are faring relatively well without superstar and team leader Derrick Rose, who continues to rehabilitate from a surgically-repaired torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).
With a 3-1 won-lost record, the Bulls currently sit atop the Central Division, on top of division rivals Milwaukee, Cleveland, Indiana and Detroit, and just one game behind Eastern Conference juggernaut and defending world champions the Miami Heat.
But a stern test of the Bulls' strength as a possible playoffs contender occurs Thursday night at the United Center where they host Western Conference powerhouse Oklahoma City Thunder, who capped a phenomenal 2011-12 NBA season with a trip to the NBA Finals, where they lost in five games to LeBron James and the Miami Heat.
After losing reigning Sixth Man of the Year James Harden in a trade to the Houston Rockets days before this 2012-13 season opened, the Thunder have sputtered a little, winning just two of their first four games.
But OKC still packs a lot of firepower in back-to-back NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant and All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook. Durant and Westbrook both average 20.8 points per game this season with Durant also pulling down 12.3 rebounds per while Russell dishes seven assists an outing. Serge Ibaka, Tabo Sefolosha and Kendrick Perkins round up Oklahoma's formidable starting unit.
Under head coach Tom Thibodeau, the Bulls defense has maintained its usual toughness, surrendering only 88.3 points a game while allowing the opposition to shoot a mere 41.4 percent from the field. They will need to summon that kind of tenacity to stifle the free-wheeling, fastbreak-happy Thunder.
Center Joakim Noah currently leads the Bulls in scoring with 16 points a game with Luol Deng a close second with 15.8. Against the Thunder, though, the Bulls need to score a lot more and a lot more often.
The Bulls-Thunder showdown is a nationally-televised game. Tip off is 7 pm (Alexander Gardunio)
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Alexander Gardunio.
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