Bulls at 76ers
THE STORY: The Chicago Bulls had a few dates circled on their current nine-game road trip. One was last Sunday in Miami. The next comes Wednesday, when the Bulls visit the Atlantic Division-leading Philadelphia 76ers. Derrick Rose recovered from his end-of-game hiccup in Miami to score a season-high 35 points in a win over Washington on Monday and will likely again be operating without his two biggest offensive helpers in Luol Deng and Richard Hamilton. The 76ers have crushed lesser teams en route to their lofty record but have yet to prove they can hang with the best. Philadelphia and Chicago rank No. 1 and 2, respectively, in defensive points allowed and each rank in the top five in rebounding, which should lead to a low-scoring affair.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CSCH (Chicago), CSP (Philadelphia)
ABOUT THE BULLS (18-5): Chicago visits Madison Square Garden on Thursday and ends its trip in Boston on Feb. 12, with lesser tests in between. Rose seems intent on making it a winning trip and has made it his mission to be aggressive and continue to get to the free-throw line. He went 14 for 15 from the stripe on Monday after missing two at the end Sunday. Rose has gone for 34 or more points in three straight games, picking up the slack for Deng (wrist) and Hamilton (groin, thigh).
ABOUT THE 76ERS (15-6): Philadelphia was crushed by the Heat and has lost to Western Conference contenders Portland, Utah and Denver. What the 76ers have been able to do is avoid letdowns against the rest of their schedule. Philadelphia has held Charlotte, Detroit and the Orlando Magic to an average of 71.7 points in winning the last three games and has not allowed more than 90 points in any of its last 12 victories. The competition ramps up over the next two weeks, with the Heat, Atlanta, the Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Clippers in a row after Chicago.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Bulls C Joakim Noah has recorded a double-double in five straight games.
2. Philadelphia commits a league-low 11.4 turnovers per game.
3. The 76ers took two of three meetings last season.