Bulls 100 - 68 Hornets
Final
  for this game

Bulls, sans Rose and Deng, still dominate Bobcats

Apr 19, 2012 - 3:34 AM Charlotte, NC (Sports Network) - Richard Hamilton had 22 points and the Chicago Bulls dominated the NBA-worst Charlotte Bobcats, 100-68.

John Lucas and Joakim Noah each added 12 points for the Bulls, who played without Derrick Rose (right foot) and Luol Deng (ribs). Carlos Boozer tallied 10 points and seven rebounds.

Chicago remained 2 1/2 games ahead of Miami for the East's top seed. The Heat beat the Raptors on Wednesday.

"The starters did their job, got us off to a good start, then the bench came in and they were playing extremely well too," Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau said.

Kemba Walker ended with 16 points for the Bobcats, who extended their franchise-record losing streak to 18 games. Derrick Brown and Gerald Henderson donated 14 and 13 points, respectively.

With the score tied at 14 midway through the first quarter, the Bulls went on an 8-0 run. Hamilton made a pair of three-pointers around Noah's slam to make it 22-14 with 4:15 to go.

Chicago shot 71.4 percent from the field over the first 12 minutes to take a 34-20 lead into the second.

The Bulls led by as many as 19 in the second and took a 52-37 margin into the locker room.

The home team opened up a 24-point lead, 76-52, late in the third period on C.J. Watson's technical free throw.

Charlotte did respond with seven straight points, but Ronnie Brewer's free throw made it a 77-59 game after three quarters.

Chicago scored the first eight points of the fourth stanza to turn the game into a laugher.

"When the shots aren't falling it just brings you down," Bobcats head coach Paul Silas said.

Game Notes

The Bulls took all three games from Charlotte this season and have won five straight overall in the series...Chicago is now 17-8 without Rose in the lineup...The Bulls are 23-8 as the visitor this season...Charlotte's 18-game skid is the longest since Cleveland dropped 26 in a row from Dec. 20, 2010- Feb. 9, 2011...The Bobcats have lost 11 in a row at home. They are just 4-26 on their own floor this season and haven't tasted victory since beating Toronto on March 17 in the Tar Heel State.






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