Read more on Monday night’s game at our team blogs, Blog a Bull and Bullets Forever.
Wizards Edge Bulls Behind Blatche’s Double-Double
Washington, DC (Sports Network) - Andray Blatche poured in 25 points and pulled down 11 rebounds, as the Washington Wizards fended off the Chicago Bulls, 101-95, at the Verizon Center.
Al Thornton added 17 points and seven rebounds off the bench for the Wizards, who have won three of four. Randy Foye tallied 16 points and nine assists for Washington, which started a three-game homestand on Monday.
The news was not all good for the Wizards, who lost forward Josh Howard early in the first quarter to a left knee sprain. Washington acquired Howard from Dallas last week in a seven-player deal that sent forward Caron Butler to the Mavericks.
Derrick Rose finished with 22 points, six assists and five rebounds for the Bulls, who had a four-game win streak come to an end. Flip Murray donated 16 points off the bench for Chicago, which got 11 points and six boards from Luol Deng.
Ahead 81-76 two minutes into the fourth, Washington put together a 12-4 flurry to create some breathing room. Blatche ended the spurt with a pair of free throws to make it a 93-80 game with less than 5 1/2 minutes to play.
Chicago responded with a 15-3 burst to cut the gap to one. Rose tallied nine points during the run, which Murray capped with a three-pointer to make it 96-95 with under two minutes to go.
Thornton stopped the bleeding with a fadeaway jumper in the lane to give the Wizards a three-point edge. At the opposite end of the floor, Deng missed a jumper.
Foye then made an 18-foot jumper with 1:01 remaining, extending Washington’s margin to 100-95.
There was 26.4 seconds left on the clock following a missed Brad Miller trey and a shot clock violation on the Wizards. Murray and Rose each missed shots from beyond the arc, and James Singleton made 1-of-2 from the foul line to seal the victory.
The Bulls, who held a 26-25 edge after 12 minutes, trailed 31-30 early in the second. An ensuing 20-7 run by Chicago, though, put them in front by 12. Hakim Warrick's layup made it 50-38 with 4 1/2 minutes left. The score was 56-46 at the break.
The Wizards started the third on a 22-6 burst to take the lead. Thornton scored seven points during the run, including a three-pointer to put Washington in front 68-62 with three minutes remaining. The Wizards held a 77-72 edge after three periods.
The Bulls beat the Wizards by a 121-119 score in double overtime on January 15 at the United Center...Chicago had won three straight as the guest...Washington shot 50.6 percent from the field, while the Bulls made 46.2 percent of their shots...Singleton had nine points and a season-high 12 rebounds for the victors.
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