The Chicago Bulls defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 95 to 75 at the Staples Center tonight to snap their five game losing streak.

The Bulls only led by three at halftime, but the starting unit blew the game open in the third quarter.

The Bulls tonight were led by Derrick Rose and Luol Deng. Rose had 21 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds. Rose was making his jumpshots tonight, and when Rose makes his jumpshots, he looked really good offensively. When he misses, he looks bad. Tonight was one of those nights he was on, and he looked tremendous. His 5 turnovers were a little much, but he’s a rookie, and rookies often turn the ball over.

Luol Deng also looked great, putting up 23 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. He aggressively looked for his shot tonight, and stuck it with great consistency. This is the Luol Deng Bulls fans were expecting to show up for the past two years. He has been playing very well since coming back from injury. When Rose and Gordon completely come out of their winter slumps, the three will round out into a nice trio that could help lead the Bulls on a run towards the post season.

Ben Gordon had an off shooting night, only scoring 11 points on 4-12 shooting. Gordon still had a pretty solid game though, as he played good defense, grabbed 5 rebounds, and dished 8 assists. Gordon played completely within the offense, and took good shots, his shots just weren’t falling.

Kirk Hinrich was pretty terrible tonight, scoring 2 points on 1-4 shooting and dishing 5 assists. Kirk Hinrich’s defense was nothing special tonight, just like in the past few games. Kirk Hinrich looked like a special defender in his first few games back from injury, but has looked more mediocre each game he takes the court. Kirk Hinrich probably cannot continue to exist on this team. Since coming back Hinrich has averaged 8.7 points on 51.6 TS%. Hinrich is scoring both a low volume and inefficiently, while providing only solid defense, yet is still playing ~28 minutes a game.

It is imperative that the Bulls move Kirk Hinrich before the trade deadline. He is not good for the team. He does not produce at an adequate level for the minutes he is getting or score at an adequate efficiency, given the majority of his shots are uncontested. His presence on the team leads to more jerking around of Gordon, which obviously has affected Gordon’s game for the worse.

The Bulls got good production from their young big men tonight. Joakim Noah had 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 blocks. Tyrus Thomas had 16 points and 10 rebounds. The Bulls are a hard team to beat when their two young big men play this well. Both Noah and Thomas did a good job defensively tonight, providing good help and man defense.

The Bulls actually tried to get Aaron Gray involved in the offense a little bit more, with good results. Gray scored 9 points on 3-3 shooting. I encourage Del Negro to run more plays for Gray, as Gray’s post up skills give the Bulls another dimension.

The Clippers as a whole really struggled tonight. Eric Gordon led the Clippers with 19 points on 6-16 shooting. Baron Davis had 3 points on 1-10 shooting, and Al Thornton had 10 points on 5-17 shooting. When three players combine for those shooting numbers, their team is going to lose.

DeAndre Jordan was actually somewhat impressive. Jordan, who got the start, had 9 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocks in 24 minutes of action. Jordan has a good size for the NBA and is really athletic. He altered some shots, and most importantly, he dunked it with authority. That is one of my biggest peeves with the Bulls front court, that they too often miss at the rim or fumble a pass from the guards. DeAndre Jordan knows how to throw it down with authority. DeAndre Jordan could make a good living off our guard’s passing if we were to somehow acquire him, similar to Tyson Chandler in New Orleans living off of Chris Paul’s great passes offensively.

Andres Nocioni scored 0 points on 0-6 shooting.

With this win, the Bulls improve to 19-17 on the season.

The NBA sent out a press release today announcing the participants in the 2009 Rookie Challenge and Youth Jam. Here is the press release that the NBA sent out.

NEW YORK, Jan. 28, 2009 – Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose, the first overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft and Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant, the reigning T-Mobile Rookie of the Year, lead a list of 18 players selected for the 2009 T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam to be held on Friday, Feb. 13 in Phoenix during NBA All-Star 2009.

The participants in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam were selected by the NBA’s assistant coaches, with each team submitting one ballot. For the first time in the game’s history, two current NBA players, All-Star starters Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic and Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat – veterans of the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge and part of T-Mobile’s “All-Star Faves” – will serve on the coaching staffs, Howard for the Sophomores and Wade for the Rookies. The head coaches for the Rookie and Sophomore teams will be the lead assistants from the 2009 NBA All-Star Game coaching staffs.

Forward Jeff Green, Durant’s teammate in Oklahoma City, joins him on the Sophomore team, which also includes Atlanta Hawks forward/center Al Horford, Los Angeles Clippers forward Al Thornton, Philadelphia 76ers forward Thaddeus Young, New York Knicks forward Wilson Chandler, Detroit Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey and a pair of teammates from the Houston Rockets – guard Aaron Brooks and forward Luis Scola.

Joining Rose on the Rookie team are two sets of teammates – guard O.J. Mayo and center Marc Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies and center Greg Oden and guard Rudy Fernandez from the Portland Trail Blazers. Thunder guard Russell Westbrook, Clippers guard Eric Gordon, Heat forward Michael Beasley and New Jersey Nets center Brook Lopez round out the Rookie team.

The T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam will be televised live nationally on TNT at 9 p.m. ET and also will be broadcast live on ESPN Radio, while NBA.com will make live audio available to fans in multiple languages. Fans tuning in to TNT will also get a special treat, as NBA All-Star starter LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, a participant in the 2004 and 2005 T-Mobile Rookie Challenge, will join Kevin Harlan, Kenny Smith and Craig Sager as part of TNT’s broadcast as an analyst.

As title partner of the Rookie Challenge and overall NBA Rookie Program, T-Mobile has teamed up with the NBA and NBA Cares to create the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Phoenix students to experience NBA All-Star 2009. By successfully completing fitness, nutrition, and community service requirements, more than 3,500 “T-Mobile Stick Together All-Stars,” ages 11-15, from participating school districts in Phoenix will watch the game from the best seats in the house at US Airways Arena.

As a new element to the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam, fans had the unique opportunity to design the official jerseys worn by the Rookie and Sophomore teams. Thousands of fans registered for the NBA LIVE Jersey Creator Contest hosted by EA SPORTS for the chance to win a trip for two to Phoenix, AZ for NBA All-Star 2009. The winning jersey is being produced by adidas, the official uniform and apparel provider for the NBA, and will be worn by all participating Rookie and Sophomore players, marking the first time that a fan designed jersey has ever been worn during an NBA game or event. In past years, Rookies and Sophomores wore their regular team jerseys during the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam. The winning design was created by 18-year-old Tim Ahmed from East Meadow, Long Island. Ahmed attended East Meadow High School and is currently a first-year student at Baruch College in Manhattan.

In last year’s T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam, Cavaliers guard Daniel Gibson earned Most Valuable Player honors, making 11 three-pointers en route to a game-high 33 points, as the Sophomores cruised to a 136-109 victory. Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay added 22 points and Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Farmar tallied 17 points and 11 assists. Durant, then of the Seattle SuperSonics, led the Rookies with 23 points.

The contest began its current format pitting the Rookies against the Sophomores in 2000 and the Sophomores hold a 7-2 advantage over the first-year players. The game will be played in two 20-minute halves. Individual foul totals will be kept, but a player cannot foul out. A team will be in the penalty situation after 10 team fouls or after the second foul in the final two minutes of each half. In the event of a tie game, there will be a two-minute overtime to determine the winner. The clock will stop after each successful field goal in the last minute of each half.

T-Mobile will provide basketball fans with the opportunity to have their vote count toward selecting the MVP of the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam by voting on NBA.com or via SMS on mobile phones during the second half of the game.

The NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 15, will air live on TNT and ESPN Radio beginning at 8 p.m. EST. The game will also be telecast in over 200 countries and territories in more than 40 languages and broadcast on NBA.com.

NBA All-Star brings together the top NBA players and performers for a week of competition, community service and world-class entertainment. Among the many other exciting All-Star events are Sprite Slam Dunk, Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout, PlayStation® Skills Challenge, Haier Shooting Stars and NBA All-Star Jam Session presented by adidas.

Building upon its already strong appeal to the nation’s youth and as Official Partner of the NBA, T-Mobile is showcasing the NBA’s youngest players — the Rookies — through the T-Mobile Rookie Program. Highlights include the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam, an All-Star competition between NBA rookies and second-year players, and rookie awards presentations including the T-Mobile Rookie of the Month and T-Mobile Rookie of the Year. To learn more about T-Mobile’s partnership with the NBA, visit www.t-mobile.com/nba.

Below are the rosters for the 2009 T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam:

ROOKIE TEAM ROSTER
Player Team Pos. Ht. Wt. School/Country
Michael Beasley Miami F 6-9 245 Kansas St.
Rudy Fernandez Portland G-F 6-6 185 Spain
Marc Gasol Memphis C 7-1 265 Spain
Eric Gordon L.A. Clippers G 6-3 222 Indiana
Brook Lopez New Jersey C 7-0 260 Stanford
O.J. Mayo Memphis G 6-4 210 USC
Greg Oden Portland C 7-0 285 Ohio State
Derrick Rose Chicago G 6-3 190 Memphis
Russell Westbrook Oklahoma City G 6-3 187 UCLA

Head Coach – TBD
Assistant Coach – Dwyane Wade

SOPHOMORE TEAM ROSTER
Player Team Pos. Ht. Wt. School/Country
Aaron Brooks Houston G 6-0 161 Oregon
Wilson Chandler New York F 6-8 220 DePaul
Kevin Durant Oklahoma City G-F 6-9 215 Texas
Jeff Green Oklahoma City F 6-9 235 Georgetown
Al Horford Atlanta F-C 6-10 245 Florida
Luis Scola Houston F-C 6-9 245 Argentina
Al Thornton L.A. Clippers F 6-8 220 Florida State
Rodney Stuckey Detroit G 6-5 205 Eastern Washington
Thaddeus Young Philadelphia F 6-8 220 Georgia Tech

Head Coach – TBD
Assistant Coach – Dwight Howard

PREVIOUS T-MOBILE ROOKIE CHALLENGE RESULTS

1994 - Phenoms 74, Sensations 68
1995 - White 83, Green 79 (OT)
1996 - East 94, West 92
1997 - East 96, West 91
1998 - East 85, West 80
2000 - Rookies 92, Sophomores 81 (OT)
2001 - Sophomores 121, Rookies 113
2002 - Rookies 103, Sophomores 97
2003 - Sophomores 132, Rookies 112
2004 - Sophomores 142, Rookies 118
2005 - Sophomores 133, Rookies 106
2006 - Sophomores 106, Rookies 96
2007 – Sophomores 155, Rookies 114
2008 – Sophomores 136, Rookies 109

Source: Bulls.com

The Chicago Bulls defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 115 to 109 in overtime tonight.

Fans dream of the 4 point play when their team is down by 4, with the game dwindling down. Ben Gordon did just that tonight to tie the game and bring it into overtime. Ben Gordon sank a three at the top of the key while being fouled by Eric Gordon. Ben Gordon then nailed the free throw to tie the game. Ben Gordon was big, scoring 15 points in the fourth quarter.

Luol Deng was key in overtime, scoring the Bulls first 4 points. Derrick Rose then scored on a drive to the basket and got an and one. Then the Bulls were treated to a clutch steal by Larry Hughes. The Clippers missed their shots from there on out and the Bulls cruised to victory.

Derrick Rose looks to have hit the rookie wall, as he was terrible tonight. Rose had 16 points on 5-17 shooting and 7 assists. Still, Rose outplayed his counterpart, Baron Davis, who scored 16 points on 6-23 shooting. Davis also had 12 assists in the game.

The Gordon matchup was interesting. Eric Gordon got off to a hot start in the first quarter, outplaying Ben. But the Bulls were able to slow down Eric, keeping him from getting goods shots and forcing him to make boneheaded plays down the stretch. Ben Gordon looked like he was going to have a bad game tonight, but ended up turning it into a really good game, finishing with 22 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and even a block.

Luol Deng was bad for all of regulation, but was great in overtime. Deng finished with 9 points on 3-9 shooting.

Drew Gooden had a big first quarter, scoring 14 of his 18 points in the first. Gooden also had 11 rebounds. Gooden was abused by Zach Randolph, who finished the game with 30 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists. Randolph scored in the low post as well as on fadeaway jumpshots.

Andres Nocioni had one of his few good games of the season, scoring 22 points on 8-14 shooting. His shot was falling tonight, and his defense was a little bit better than usual, although his rebounding was poor.

Joakim Noah was productive during his time in the game, finishing with 7 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Noah struggled guarding Zach Randolph though, and couldn’t keep Camby off the offensive glass.

Marcus Camby put up a monster game. Camby finished with 19 points, 27 rebounds, and 4 blocks. Camby completely dominated the Bulls on the offensive glass and frustrated Derrick Rose and Ben Gordon on their drives to the basket.

Al Thornton had a quiet 20 points for the Clippers.

Tyrus Thomas left the game with a concussion.

The Bulls are now 12-13 after this ugly win over the Clippers. The Bulls will have another shot at reaching the .500 mark when they play Boston on Friday.