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Rose, Bulls clash with Wall, Wizards in Chicago

Nov 13, 2010 - 3:54 PM (Sports Network) - A pair of No. 1 overall picks get together tonight in the Windy City, where Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls play host to rookie John Wall and the Washington Wizards from the United Center.

Rose was the first pick in the 2008 draft and is averaging 23.6 points and 9.7 assists per game this season. Wall was taken first in this past June's draft and is posting 18.4 points and 10.3 assists in his first seven games.

The Bulls look to close out a perfect three-game homestand after beating both the Nuggets and Warriors. They're coming off Thursday's 120-90 victory over Golden State in which Luol Deng ended with 26 points, 11 rebounds and six assists to lead the way. Rose added 22 points and 13 assists for the Bulls, who got 17 points, seven boards and five assists from Joakim Noah.

"Usually when teams come in on a back-to-back, we've got to speed up our offense and get down the court quick enough," Rose said.

Chicago is 4-1 at home this season and will head west for seven games against the Rockets, Spurs, Mavericks, Lakers, Suns, Nuggets and Kings after Saturday's matchup with Washington. The Bulls will be leaving town for their annual Circus Trip.

Washington is still searching for its first road win this season and has dropped all three tests so far away from DC. It completed a three-game homestand with a 1-2 mark after Charlotte left the nation's capital with a 93-85 win Friday night from the Verizon Center.

Andray Blatche had 22 points and nine rebounds, while Wall chipped in 13 points and 11 assists for the Wizards, who were coming off Wednesday's win versus a struggling Houston squad.

"We wanted to start a streak," Blatche said after the loss. "That's the thing about basketball, you want to get a nice winning streak so you can get rid of some of the losses. We're trying to go for the playoffs, and we can't lose to teams like this and expect to make the playoffs."

On the injury front for the Wizards, forward Al Thornton left Friday's game against the Bobcats with an abdominal injury and is questionable. Thornton is averaging 14.0 points and 5.7 boards this season.

Chicago took two of three matchups with Washington a season ago and has won 10 of the past 15 contests in this series. The Wizards have dropped three in a row and nine of their last 11 trips to the Windy City.