Washington, DC (Sports Network) - A physical battle in the post left Carlos
Boozer clearly frustrated.
By the end of the game, the Chicago Bulls looked like a team that was playing
with fatigue.
Emeka Okafor had 15 points and 16 rebounds as the Washington Wizards upended
the Bulls, 86-73, at Verizon Center. Nene totaled 16 points and John Wall
contributed 15 points and seven assists in Washington's seventh victory in 10
games.
Kirk Hinrich, who had a season-high 25 points in Chicago's 103-87 home win
over Golden State on Friday, was limited to seven points a night later. Joakim
Noah barely missed a triple-double, as he finished with nine points, 17
rebounds and tied a career-high with 10 assists for the Bulls, whose three-
game winning streak came to an end. Nate Robinson led the way with 19 points
in defeat.
Boozer was hit with a flagrant 1 foul and a technical in a span of 38 seconds
in the third quarter. The flagrant came with 6:33 left in the period. Boozer
was posting up when he elbowed Okafor in the face. Okafor went 1-of-2 at the
charity stripe to expand Washington's lead to 65-51.
Shortly thereafter, Okafor, who was trying to drive to the hoop, crashed into
Boozer. The Bulls forward gave Okafor a small shove and a technical foul was
called.
Boozer picked up his fourth foul with 4 1/2 minutes left in the third, and he
went to the bench.
The Wizards carried a 73-55 lead into the fourth quarter and were ahead by
double digits the rest of the way.
Chicago held a 24-23 lead after a tightly contested first quarter. Wall's
layup in the dying seconds of the second quarter boosted the Wizards to a
50-44 halftime edge. The Wizards scored 11 in a row during the quarter, wiping
out a five-point deficit. Okafor capped the burst with a hook shot with 1:08
left for a 46-40 difference.
The Wizards scored eight straight in the early stages of the third quarter.
GAME NOTES:
The Wizards have won five in a row at home ... The Bulls won the first
meeting, 87-77, on December 29th in Chicago. The two teams will meet again on
April 2nd in Washington and April 17th in Chicago. This was Washington's
second win in the last 10 meetings.
The Sports Network