Phun in Philly? Barely

The Bulls had revenge on their mind when they entered the Wells Fargo Center to take on the Philadelphia 76ers. They couldn't have thought it would be an easy task either. The Sixers didn't allow it to be one, taking leads throughout the night and building upon them. The Bulls refused to give into pressure however and put together a nice run or two before knocking down the shots they needed in the fourth quarter. Though Philly had a chance to tie it at the end, a three by Andre Iguodala badly missed and the Bulls escaped with a 96-91 win.

As expected, Derrick Rose was the man again. He knocked down buzzer-beaters at the end of the second and third quarters while tying a season-high with 35 points, but more importantly, he came up with the buckets when he needed to do. To borrow a Ken "Hawk" Harrelson phrase, "Don't tell me what you score, tell me when you score 'em". All Rose did tonight was provide more evidence that he is indeed one of the league's most clutch scorers. Forget what that Miami radio host said about him being the most "fraudulent" MVP ever. The guy knows how to win. Maybe not NBA championships yet, but at least games. Look out for him in games like tonight because he WILL get the job done.

Carlos Boozer had 13 and Joakim Noah's latest double-double consisted of 11 points and 18 rebounds. Luol Deng had a disappointing night with only eight points, but they all came in the fourth quarter. A box score can only tell you so many things and Deng heated up at the right time. I'll give him props for tonight. Same with C.J. Watson. After spraining his ankle tonight, his return was questionable. But he returned for the home stretch and made some big plays to help ensure the victory. Don't be shocked if the Bulls give Mike James another call in the next day or two as insurance though. Hopefully, Watson will miss minimal time if any at all.

Three-pointers are often seen as an overrated aspect of the game and it very well might be. Still, they made the difference tonight. The Bulls knocked down seven of 16 attempts from beyond the arc while the Sixers were a putrid 1 for 11, including Iguodala's shot that tried to tie it at the end. I probably won't say a whole lot more about that, but you never know what discussion any given game will trigger.

Another tough test comes tomorrow night at the United Center against the Indiana Pacers. Again, the Bulls will be looking to avenge a tough loss. Indy will be ready to play, so the Bulls better be too. Hope I'm blogging about another game with an outcome like tonight's in 24 hours.