Football
Associated Press 16y

Chris Duhon scores career-high 34 in Bulls' improbable 114-108 win over Warriors

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Not even Chris Webber could fix the
problems that bedeviled the Golden State Warriors in his first game
back. The veteran forward wasn't even sure he could identify what
went so terribly wrong in the Chicago Bulls' improbable victory.

He left that diagnosis to his teammates and coaches, who all
pointed out the gaping defensive void that the Bulls walked through
to victory.

Chris Duhon scored a career-high 34 points, Joe Smith had 27 and
the undermanned Bulls hung on for a 114-108 victory Thursday night,
spoiling Webber's return to Golden State after a 13-year absence.

Webber had four points and two assists in 12 minutes in his
first game with the Warriors since the former No. 1 overall draft
pick forced a trade after his tumultuous rookie season in 1994.
Wearing an orange headband and his familiar No. 4, Webber was
introduced to mild applause in Golden State's starting lineup.

"It felt good to be out there and get that first foul," said
Webber, who missed shots on Golden State's first two possessions.
"Not the result, but it felt good. Nervous is good. I think it was
anxiousness more than being scared."

The Bulls had plenty of reason to be frightened in their fourth
road game in six nights while playing without three of their top
four scorers. Instead, they produced one of their gutsiest efforts
of the season, led by Duhon's superb performance as the only true
guard in Chicago's eight-man rotation.

With Ben Gordon, Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich all sidelined,
Duhon's 11-of-16 shooting, four 3-pointers and nine assists carried
the Bulls early as they somehow stayed in front of the well-rested
Warriors. Tyrus Thomas then took over late, getting 13 of his 15
points in the fourth quarter as the Bulls scored on nine of 10
possessions down the stretch.

"I took open shots, got my rhythm, and they continued to keep
falling," Duhon said. "Being the only guard tonight, it gives you
extra confidence knowing that you could be a little bit more
aggressive. Even if you miss a few shots and make a couple of
mistakes, Coach is going to continue to keep playing you, so you
just play a little bit more loose and don't play mind games with
yourself."

That mentality worked for all eight Bulls. With steady
production from a slow-paced offensive plan in a 37-point fourth
quarter, Chicago won in Oakland for the first time in nine tries
since Jan. 30, 1998, during Michael Jordan's final season with the
club.

"We really needed this one," said Thabo Sefolosha, who had
nine points and seven rebounds. "It was a close game, and we were
able to finish it. A lot of players stepped up and brought a lot of
things to the team. It's great when the team plays like that,
fighting together for wins."

Al Harrington, who's likely to lose playing time to Webber, had
20 points and hit four 3-pointers, but Baron Davis' 8-for-24 outing
and Stephen Jackson's 6-of-19 performance doomed the Warriors to
just their second loss in six games. Monta Ellis led Golden State
with 25 points, while Davis had 22 and Jackson 19.

"There's no excuse to lose this game when their three best
players aren't even playing," Jackson said. "Our defense was
terrible. I don't know what it was. I think (Duhon) just wanted the
game more than we did, and then when they're giving it to Tyrus
Thomas in the fourth quarter to score buckets and he's delivering,
you're not going to win."

After Davis hit a layup to pull Golden State within 101-100 with
2:16 left, Chicago scored the next seven points -- all on free
throws, including four by Smith, another former No. 1 pick (1995)
who didn't do much for the Warriors.

"I don't think the guys are quitting, I think the guys are
stepping up," Chicago coach Jim Boylan said. "We're down quite a
few players, but we're not letting that change the way we're
playing. The guys that we have are coming out and playing hard and
taking advantage of their opportunities to get some serious playing
time."

Game notes
Duhon hadn't scored more than 13 points in a game this
season, but surpassed that minor milestone in the first quarter ...
Despite their injury problems, the Bulls waived F Viktor Khryapa
earlier in the day. He played in just nine games this season. ...
Chicago's Ben Wallace airballed a free throw late in the second
quarter, then did it again in the third. He finished 0-for-7 at the
line. ... Rapper Nas and LPGA Hall of Famer Juli Inkster attended
the game, sitting two seats apart.

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