Sixers bow to Bulls

By John McMullen
The Phanatic Magazine

Kirk Hinrich's jumper with 26.7 seconds left proved to be the game-winner as Chicago stormed back to edge Philadelphia, 88-87, at the Wachovia Center.

The Sixers had a chance to win things at the buzzer but Andre Iguodala's desperation three came up empty.

Luol Deng finished with a game-high 20 points and six assists for the Bulls, who won their fourth straight game and were victorious for the seventh time in eight contests. Hinrich added 14 points for Chicago, which outrebounded Philadelphia, 45-30.

Iguodala had 19 points, five rebounds and six assists for the Sixers, who dropped their second straight and lost for the first time in eight games at home. Willie Green finished with 16 points, while Samuel Dalembert tallied 15 points and seven boards.

The Sixers took a seemingly comfortable 10-point cushion into the fourth quarter, but Chicago quickly tightened things. Deng's slam off the left baseline evened the game at 84 with 4:34 left.

The teams went on the see-saw from there. Iguodala found Dalembert for an alley-oop with 2:14 left to put the Sixers back on top, 87-86.

Both clubs went cold until the final seconds when Deng drew the defense and kicked the ball out to Hinrich, who buried what turned out to be the game- winning jumper.

After an Iguodala miss, Adrian Griffin had a chance to seal things with a pair of free throws with 9.6 seconds left. But, the veteran missed both and after the Sixers finally corralled the rebound, referee Jack Nies signaled a timeout with what looked to be over five seconds left.

The clock continued to run, however, and the officiating crew never picked it up, leaving just 2.1 seconds for Philadelphia and little time for Iguodala's desperation shot.

The Sixers shot a sizzling 72 percent in the first quarter and built a 28-18 lead.

Philadelphia continued to play frontrunner at intermission, 50-42, but the Bulls hung around thanks to their dominance of the offensive boards. Chicago whitewashed the Sixers on the offensive glass in the first half with a 14-0 advantage.

Philadelphia extended its lead to 10 points, 72-62, after the third quarter.