76ers 109, Bulls 92
CHICAGO - The Philadelphia 76ers took full advantage of fortunate circumstances to even their first-round playoff series against Chicago.
The top-seeded Bulls lost three-time all-star Derrick Rose on Saturday with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and the 76ers used a huge second half to pull off a 109-92 victory in Game 2 on Tuesday at the United Center.
Now tied at 1-1, the series moves to Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center on Friday.
Chicago seemed to weather the loss of Rose relatively well while building a 55-47 advantage at halftime. But the Bulls barely saw what sped past them in the third quarter. Philadelphia cranked up its fast-break game to outscore the Chicago 36-14.
The Sixers pushed the lead to 20 points early in the fourth quarter and witnessed a rare scene at the United Center - fans steaming for the exits with five minutes left. The Bulls produced the NBA's best record in each of the past two seasons and were usually on the winning end of lopsided games.
Guard Jrue Holiday led Philadelphia with 26 points, hitting 11-of-15 shots from the field, including all three of his 3-point attempts. Guard Lou Williams scored 20 points off the bench, and Chicago native Evan Turner added 19 for the visitors, who shot 59 percent from the field.
Center Joakim Noah led the Bulls with 21 points, while guard John Lucas III added 15 and C.J. Watson, Rose's replacement at point guard, had 12. The Sixers outscored Chicago 25-8 in fast-break points.
Rose attended the game and waved to fans from center court before the opening tip, then watched the action from a luxury suite. There's no word yet on when Rose might have surgery to repair his left knee.
Both teams were able to ride hot hands during the first half. Holiday hit seven of eight shots from the field for 17 points during the first two quarters.
Noah, meanwhile, was a perfect 7-for-7 from the field while scoring 14 points in the opening half. Noah and Lucas combined to score 18 points as the Bulls finished the second quarter on a 23-12 run to take a 55-47 edge at the break.
NOTES: Chicago's Tom Thibodeau didn't have much reaction to finishing second in the NBA Coach of the Year voting. However, he did have plenty of praise for the winner, San Antonio's Gregg Popovich. "The thing about Pop is he's a great example for our profession," Thibodeau said before the game. "I'm happy for him that he's had a great season." Popovich received 77 first-place votes, while Thibodeau got 27. Thibodeau could have become the first coach in league history to win the award two years in a row. ... Philadelphia shuffled its starting lineup for Game 2, using guard Evan Turner and center Spencer Hawes instead of Jodie Meeks and Lavoy Allen. ... The Bulls are 30-2 all-time in playoff series when they have home-court advantage, and 31-4 when they win Game 1. Last year in the Eastern Conference finals, they had the home-court edge and won Game 1 vs. Miami, then lost the series in five games.
