FOURTH QUARTER (Kings 102, Bulls 98)
So that whole line below about about the Kings firing up their plane? It's still true. They need to get out of this city faster than a Tyreke Evans dribble drive.
The Kings pulled off a remarkable comeback from 35 points down, with Evans doing it all late in what was simply an incredible finish. No way I'm missing a second of this postgame scene, so click here for the breakdown. One last thought: Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro may want to catch a seat on the Kings' plane with the way this crowd wants his head.
THIRD QUARTER (Bulls 88, Kings 69)
More of the same. I'll spare you the details beyond a few lighthearted ones. Sergio Rodriguez blocked Brad Miller, which was kind of funny. Jon Brockman looked like a flying boxing Tasmanian Devil on one block attempt (and foul) on Taj Gibson, which was kind of fun to watch. Otherwise, I'm sure the Kings' plane has already been fired up. They, however, have completely stalled out.
HALFTIME (Bulls 67, Kings 43)
Not much has changed here at the United Center, except that Derrick Rose picked up where Luol Deng led off and has 19 points at halftime.
He posterized Donte' Greene on a dunk after a Brad Miller right wing special of a pass. Deng has 20 to lead all scorers, and the Bulls are shooting 60.9 percent. The Kings have 13 turnovers and are shooting 40.5 percent.
Not surprisingly, Kings coach Pau Westphal has used 11 players in an attempt to get something going. Nothing doing outside of Beno Udrih, though (he has 14 points). One of them is Jon Brockman who has returned from his lower back strain to play three minutes after missing the last two games.
FIRST QUARTER (Bulls 38, Kings 19)
So I asked Kings coach Paul Westphal about his team's loss at Minneapolis on Friday, inquiring as to whether he remained puzzled at how his team had laid an egg after competing so consistently for so long.
"With a team this young, I'm more surprised that hasn't happened more often," he said with a smile.
Well it's happening again tonight at the United Center, where the Kings are down 19 and have allowed Chicago to hit 17 of 24 shots (70.8 percent). It's not all Andres Nocioni's fault, but the Kings small forward is struggling badly in his first return to Chicago since being traded in February. He is 1 of 5 from the field and has let Luol Deng hit 7 of 8 shots for 14 points.
The Kings have hit just 7 of 17 shots and have seven turnovers. - Sam Amick
