| |
|
NBA -- Nets melt in the homestretch, lose to Bulls
By Homer D. Sayson PhilBoxing.com Mon, 17 Dec 2012

CHICAGO -- Ahead 79-75 with 1:48 left to play, the Brooklyn Nets appeared well on their way to a convincing road victory over the undermanned Chicago Bulls Saturday night at the United Center.
But when the desperate Bulls put the clamps on their notoriously stingy defense, the Nets couldn't hold on to the lead, losing an 83-82 nail-biter as Chicago closed the final 90 seconds of play with a blistering 8-3 run.
With their top three guards -- Derrick Rose, Rip Hamilton and Kirk Hinrich -- sidelined by injuries and Nate Robinson hobbled by uneven play, the Bulls turned to rookie Marquis Teague to take charge of the offense in the endgame.
And the 19-year old newbie did not disappoint, setting up 6-foot-11 center Joakim Noah for a game-tying dunk and finishing with eight points and and two assists in 19 minutes of action.
"This was a great team effort. A lot of guys are stepping up. I'm happy for those guys because I see the work that they put in practice. It's all positive," Noah told the Chicago Tribune.
The Nets played two overtime sessions against the Detroit Pistons the night before and some of the fatigue showed in the final quarter, where they missed wide open jumpers. The Nets made only 29 of 75 field goals (38.7 percent) and 7-for-19 from 3-point range. Brooklyn also missed five of its 22 free throws.
Marco Belinelli again made the most of his extended minutes, this time swishing six of nine field goals for a team-high 19 points. Forwards Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer combined for 32 points and 13 rebounds for Chicago, which made only two of 10 treys but shot 33 of 75 field goals overall.
Deron Williams, who played college ball for the University of Illinois Fighting Illini, chalked 24 points and five assists while center Brook Lopez garnered 18 and 10 rebounds for Brooklyn, which fell to 13-10, five games behind the 18-5 New York Knicks in the Atlantic Division.
Chicago improved to 13-9 and top spot in the Central Division. (Homer D. Sayson)
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Homer D. Sayson.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
Suarez, Lewkowicz Ask the WBO to Enforce Navarrete Rematch and Begin Negotiations Immediately By Carlos Costa, , Tue, 21 Jul 2026THE PAST WEEK IN ACTION 20 JULY 2026: Papot Outpoints Eubank; Pacheco Stops Aleem; Suarez Smokes Avila in One Round By Eric Armit, , Tue, 21 Jul 2026Fiery Exchange at Fanatics Fest: Garcia and Benn Nearly Brawl in New York Ahead of Sept. 12 Title Clash By NewsHub @ PhilBoxing , , Tue, 21 Jul 2026John Michael Zulueta Headlines in Highland Show July 25 in Thailand, LIVE on TrillerTV By Carlos Costa, , Tue, 21 Jul 2026Results from Dominican Republic: Alberto Puello Stops Ángel Bolaño in 3 By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Tue, 21 Jul 2026Matchroom Boxing reveals major fights in UK & Ireland schedule from August to October , Tue, 21 Jul 2026Colombia National Congress Awarded "Kid Pambelé" with Grand Cross Knight By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Tue, 21 Jul 2026MILO Marathon returns to Davao on August 2 By Lito delos Reyes, , Tue, 21 Jul 2026PHILBOXING.COM WEEKEND ROUNDUP: News, Fallout, and the Long Shadow of Sydney By NewsHub @ PhilBoxing , , Tue, 21 Jul 2026Joe Hand Promotions Secures Commercial Rights for Errol Spence Jr. vs. Tim Tszyu Showdown , Tue, 21 Jul 2026Grandy Twins Head to Tampa to Learn from Hall of Famers Antonio Tarver and Winky Wright Ahead of August 14 Homecoming Fight , Tue, 21 Jul 2026Matchroom Extends Brentwood Town Fc Partnership as Principle Partner for Next Five Years as Barry Hearn Obe Provides Significant Investment to Non-League Football Club , Tue, 21 Jul 2026IBA Pro announces departure of Director Al Siesta , Mon, 20 Jul 2026Suarez sends strong signal By Joaquin Henson, , Mon, 20 Jul 2026THE CORNER SHIFT: Can Ronnie Shields Rebuild Errol Spence Jr. After the Derrick James Fallout? By T. Chin-Te, , Mon, 20 Jul 2026Yusniel Abrahante Shocks Undefeated Luis Coria in Dominant Performance Live on ProBox TV , Sun, 19 Jul 2026Salamov stops Suarez as Borshchev beats Brito at historic IBA Bare Knuckle US debut , Sun, 19 Jul 2026Pichay re-elected NCFP prexy, eyes more GMs By Marlon Bernardino, , Sun, 19 Jul 2026Olympus Rising by TWC - Amateur MMA Fight on Saturday; live broadcast via Kalaro 3.0 Sports Super-app By Marlon Bernardino, , Sun, 19 Jul 2026Suarez Obliterates Avila in One-Round Blitz to Capture WBO International Crown (Photos) By Dong Secuya, , Sun, 19 Jul 2026Spence vs Tszyu, The Biggest Crossroad Fight Of 2026! By Ralph Rimpell, , Sun, 19 Jul 2026Cebuana Lhuillier-backed Blu Girls Power Past Host Peru, Finish World Cup Campaign on a High Note By Marlon Bernardino, , Sun, 19 Jul 2026Diego Pacheco and Immanuwel Aleem Tip Scales for Carson Showdown , Sat, 18 Jul 2026Weights From ‘Flores vs. Navarro’ and 'Suarez vs Avila' at NOS Events Center in San Bernardino, CA & Live on ProBoxTV , Sat, 18 Jul 2026Tickets on Sale Now for Andy Ruiz Jr. vs. Damian Knyba at Prudential Center, Newark, NJ on Sept 4 – Live on TNT and DAZN , Sat, 18 Jul 2026 |

|
|
|
|
|