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Bulls face Grizzlies; look for fifth straight win

Mar 17, 2007 - 4:02 PM Chicago (39-28) at Memphis (16-50) 8:00 pm EST

MEMPHIS, Tennessee (Ticker) -- Memphis Grizzlies star Pau Gasol was rumored to be dealt to the Chicago Bulls at the trade deadline. The Bulls are doing just fine without him.

The Bulls aim to extend their winning streak to five games when they face the Grizzlies on Saturday.

A perimeter-oriented squad, Chicago lacks a dominant post player to compliment its stable of capable young guards and wing players. A trade for Gasol could have pushed the Bulls over the top in the woeful Eastern Conference.

But the star forward remained in Memphis (16-50), which has continued to struggle to the worst record in the NBA. Chicago, on the other hand, has flourished with its roster intact - posting a 10-3 record since the All-Star break.

The Grizzlies most embarrassing moment of the season may have been their first matchup with the Bulls. Chicago drubbed Memphis, 111-66, on January 13 - the Grizzlies' worst defeat of the season.

Despite stellar results, the Bulls have been sluggish in their last two contests, back-to-back wins over Boston and Philadelphia. After slipping past the Celtics, they held off the Sixers, 88-87, on Wednesday - erasing a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit en route to their third straight road win.

Chicago has won four of it past five road games to improve to just 14-20 away from home. It will look to improve on that mark against Memphis, which has posted 11 of its 16 wins at home.

The Grizzlies have lost the first two contests in a five-game homestand, including a 118-96 loss to Cleveland on Wednesday. Rookie Rudy Gay had 24 points and Gasol added 23 and 10 rebounds.