Bulls at Magic
THE STORY: One of the league's best teams goes up against one of
its hottest players Friday as the Chicago Bulls travel to Orlando for a
date with Dwight Howard and the Magic. A five-game winning streak has
the Bulls riding high in the East with a 6-1 mark paced by some of the
stingiest defense in the league. Chicago is among the league leaders in
points against, yielding only 86.6 per game through the first 12 days of
the campaign. They may be in tough against a Magic squad off to an 5-2
start thanks to the exploits of Howard. As he continues to be the
subject of trade rumors, Howard has ripped off three 20-rebound games
already in the young season, and his 28-point, 20-board evisceration of
the Washington Wizards on Wednesday came in just 36 1/2 minutes of
playing time - a season low for the 6-foot-11 behemoth. Howard averaged
24.3 points on 67.5-percent shooting in three meetings with Chicago last
season - a clear indication the Bulls had no answer for him.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN, SunSports (Orlando)
ABOUT THE BULLS (6-1):
Chicago looked out of sync offensively in a two-point victory over
Atlanta earlier in the week, but those concerns vanished in the club's
next game. The Bulls shot nearly 53 percent from the field in an
efficient 99-83 triumph over the host Detroit Pistons. Scoring points
will likely be the only occasional trouble spot for Chicago this season -
and with Carlos Boozer healthy and Derrick Rose looking as dangerous as
ever, the Bulls should be productive most nights.
ABOUT THE MAGIC (5-2): Howard has been magnificent, but he hasn't
been guiding Orlando by himself. Ryan Anderson has emerged as one of the
biggest surprises of the opening two weeks, averaging a team-best 19.7
points and contributing 7.4 rebounds in just over 31 minutes of action.
Consistency has been Anderson's trademark, with the 23-year-old power
forward scoring 20 or more points in five of his team's first seven
games.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Chicago won three of four
meetings between the teams last season. Orlando managed to break the
100-point barrier only once in the season series.
2. The Magic
head to the West Coast after the game. The trek will take Orlando to
Sacramento, Portland and Golden State before concluding in New York.
3. Rose suffered a bruised elbow in Chicago's win over Detroit, but doesn't expect to miss any time.