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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
CHICAGO (AP) -- Elton Brand got the ball and wasn't about to give
it back. He wanted the final shot to be his.
"I wanted to hit it and walk off the court with my team
bombarding me. I was just trying to beat the clock," Brand said
after his 17-foot jumper at the buzzer gave the Chicago Bulls a
98-96 win over the Washington Wizards on Thursday night.
"The play was originally designed to go back to Bryce Drew, but
I didn't look to see if he was open. I wanted to take it. I took a
dribble and shot," said Brand, who got his wish when several of
his teammates mobbed him.
Drew made a 3-pointer with 9.9 seconds left to give the Bulls a
96-93 lead but then fouled Washington's Chris Whitney on a 3-point
attempt with 1.8 seconds remaining.
Whitney, whose earlier 3-pointer had tied the game at 93 with 32
seconds left, calmly sank all three free throws for another tie.
"I didn't know 9.9 seconds could have so much drama. I
definitely fouled him. I was holding him. I'm just glad Elton
bailed me out," Drew said.
"I was surprised they didn't try to ice me on those free
throws," Whitney said. "I just shoot them the same way as I do at
any other time during the game."
After a timeout, Drew inbounded the ball to Brand, who took one
dribble and made a jumper over Calvin Booth to give the Bulls -- who
had blown an 11-point fourth-quarter lead -- the victory in a
meeting of two of the NBA's worst teams.
Chicago is 6-25 and the Wizards 7-26.
"I thought I had him defended pretty well but he got the shot
up over me. I didn't think it would go in," Booth said.
"I was expecting the ball back, but when I saw Elton go to his
right -- he's really good going that way -- I knew it was over,"
Drew said.
Brand, who made two other key baskets in the stretch, finished
with 30 points. Ron Mercer added 18 for Chicago.
Whitney led the Wizards with 27 points and had 11 assists, Juwan
Howard added 22 points and 14 rebounds, and Richard Hamilton scored
20 points, 10 in the fourth quarter.
Brand hit a jumper from the baseline just before the shot clock
expired to give Chicago a 91-88 lead with 1:50 to go, then backed
in and hit a basket over Howard with 40 seconds left for a 93-90
advantage.
But Whitney sank a 3-pointer with 32 seconds remaining for a
tie.
Dragan Tarlac hooked in a basket to start the fourth and
slumping Ron Artest, who was left out of the starting lineup, made
a 3-pointer as the Bulls went up 74-63.
But Hamilton scored six points in an 8-0 run as Chicago
committed three straight turnovers and Washington completed a 13-2
surge, and Whitney tied the game at 76 with a 3-pointer.
Game notes
Cameras were poised in the hallway to the locker rooms of
the United Center, but Michael Jordan didn't attend Thursday
night's game. The president of the Wizards' basketball operations
caused a stir when he appeared before a preseason game between the
teams in the building he once ruled. Jordan has missed both of the
regular-season meetings at the United Center, even though he still
lives in Chicago. ... Rod Strickland missed his fourth straight
game, the first because of a suspension, the last three with sore
hamstrings. Jahidi White missed his sixth straight because of a
left knee sprain. ... Washington had a whopping 19-8 advantage in
offensive rebounds but allowed the Bulls to shoot 56 percent.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Washington Clubhouse
Chicago Clubhouse
RECAPS
Miami 81
New Jersey 78
Minnesota 105
Seattle 92
New York 95
Orlando 92
Chicago 98
Washington 96
Houston 107
Detroit 97
FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Juwan Howard Official Site
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