Wake up the neighbors and kids. Start making preparations for that annual celebration in Grant Park.
The Bulls are back, baby.
OK. It’s not exactly time to declare the Bulls ready to win the franchise’s sixth title in eight years. But they now have won two straight games on the road after beating the Sacramento Kings 103-88 Sunday in front of a sellout crowd at Arco Arena.
Sure, the Bulls (8-5) did what they were expected to do in beating the Los Angeles Clippers and Sacramento (4-8) in two straight games. But with both those teams making it harder for the Bulls than usual, there still is room for a little concern.
The Bulls did, after all, need two overtimes to beat the Clippers on Friday. On Sunday, they blew a 21-point lead in the first half, then had to build it back up for the victory.
But let’s not dwell on the negatives. The Bulls, who never trailed, reached the 100-point mark for just the third time this season. Michael Jordan led them with 33 points on 11 of 19 shooting. Toni Kukoc added 18 points and eight assists.
The Bulls watched their 19-point halftime lead dwindle during a sloppy third quarter when the Kings, led by Mitch Richmond’s 23 points, got as close as 73-69 when Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf nailed a three-pointer with 2 minutes 40 seconds left in the period.
They never got closer, with the Bulls breaking the game open in the fourth quarter.
The Bulls looked as if things were finally going their way when Ron Harper’s layup gave them a 17-10 lead with 5:57 left in the opening quarter. The Kings went on to score seven straight points, pulling even at 17-17 on Olden Polynice’s 15-footer a minute later.
