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 Gibson, a Brooklyn native, scored 20 points and Jimmy Butler added
15 to help the Chicago Bulls rout the Nets 95-78 on Wednesday.
"It was stressful," said the 28-year-old, who grew up minutes from
Barclays Center. "I did a toy drive and I was tired, but it was
great to see my family."
Gibson led a balanced offense with six players in double figures for
Chicago, which was buoyed by the return of guards Kirk Hinrich and
Butler.
With the Bulls trailing 50-49 early in the third quarter, Butler
took over, keying a 21-5 run that gave Chicago control. Butler, who
sat out the last game with a right ankle injury, started the burst
with a 3-pointer and added a three-point play that made it 57-52.
That was the first of 12 straight points by the Bulls.
Another three-point play by Butler made it 66-52.
"Coming out of halftime was a focus for us," Hinrich said.
Chicago (11-16) led by 19 at the end of the period after Reggie
Evans' dunk with less than a second left ended a 5½-minute field
goal drought for the Nets (9-19).
Brooklyn couldn't get much closer in the fourth and was serenaded
with a chorus of loud boos from the fans.
"They cheer when things are good and they let you know when things
aren't going good," Nets coach Jason Kidd said. "They expect good
and they expect it 90 percent of the time, but right now we are 90
percent bad and so they have every right to boo and express how they
feel."
What once was viewed as a Christmas Day showdown between Eastern
Conference contenders became a matchup of two of the NBA's biggest
disappointments so far, as both teams have been plagued by injuries.
Deron Williams scored 18 points and Mizra Teletovic added 17 for the
Nets, who have lost four straight.
"I'm surprised at this season, how it's played out altogether,"
Williams said. "It's like a nightmare the way the injuries have
been, the things we talk about every day, the lack of effort, the
lack of energy."
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The victory was Chicago's second straight, the first time
since five consecutive wins from Nov. 8-18 that the Bulls had
two in a row. Chicago is starting to get healthy with the return
Hinrich and Butler, both of whom started.
Hinrich spurred a 12-0 run midway through the second quarter
that gave Chicago a 39-31 lead. Williams then scored seven
straight to make it a one-point game. Chicago led 41-38 at the
half before Butler took over.
"It's good to get guys back," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said.
"Our starters were very solid and our bench guys did a great
job. Taj was super."
The Bulls were still missing Luol Deng (Achilles) and Derrick
Rose, who is sidelined for the season with a right knee injury.
Brooklyn has its own injury issues with center Brook Lopez lost
for the season Friday to a broken right foot.
"We talk about it a lot. We're really trying to figure out what
it is. It's tough," Teletovic said of the Nets' struggles. "A
lot of NBA teams aren't going to give you anything easy. You
really have to concentrate and bring a lot of energy to win the
game."
The two clubs were wearing their Christmas short-sleeve jerseys
that look straight out of a rec league game. Instead of numbers
and a team name on the front, there was a big shiny logo. There
are numbers on the sleeves, while the backs look more like a
normal NBA jersey.
Both squads were also wearing striped socks to complete the
outfit.
NOTES: The Nets were still missing Andrei Kirilenko, who has
been sidelined this season with a back injury. Kidd said before
the game that his forward is making progress. ... Kidd's always
loved playing on Christmas. "One of the biggest honors as a
player and coach is to participate on Christmas," he said. "The
world is watching so you can showcase your talent." ... These
two teams met in the first round of the playoffs last season and
the Bulls won in seven games. ... Chicago has won eight of the
last 10 regular-season meetings. [Associated
Press]
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