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02/20/2010 11:39 PM EST
Gibson leads Bulls past 76ers, 122-90
CHICAGO 122, PHILADELPHIA 90

By ANDREW SELIGMAN
AP Sports Writer

CHICAGO(AP) -- Not one to stay stuck in the moment, Taj Gibson
insisted he'll let this one go no matter how tempting it might
be to hold onto it.

The rookie tied a career high with 20 points and had 13
rebounds, and the Chicago Bulls used a big first-half run to
beat the Philadelphia 76ers 122-90 on Saturday night for their
fourth straight victory.

"You're only as good as your last game," Gibson said.

And this one was quite impressive. He hit 9 of 14 shots and fed
off newcomer Hakim Warrick in another eye-opening performance
from a rookie whose emergence made the departed Tyrus Thomas
expendable.

"He's such a good kid," coach Vinny Del Negro said. "He is very
coachable. He wants to learn and is always working. I like some
of the passes that he and Hakim made to each other. They worked
well against the zone."

And they had plenty of help.

Derrick Rose scored 17 points to help the Bulls set a season
high for points. So did Kirk Hinrich, who also buried three
3-pointers to give him 773 in his career and break a tie with
Ben Gordon for the club record.

Newcomer Hakim Warrick had a highlight reel dunk over Thaddeus
Young that "got me going" and finished with 15 points. Brad
Miller scored eight of his 15 during a 23-1 run to close the
second half, turning a three-point deficit into a 58-39 lead and
sending Chicago to his sixth win in seven games. The Bulls set a
team record for fewest turnovers with four while dishing out 26
assists.

"They were finding the open man, just making the right plays,"
the Sixers' Allen Iverson said.

Andre Iguodala led Philadelphia with 23 points. Young scored 17
points, but the Sixers went 8:14 without a field goal during a
drought that spanned the second and third quarters in their most
lopsided loss this season while falling for the third time in
four games.

"We couldn't hit shots and we couldn't get stops," Iguodala
said.

They were leading 38-35 after Iguodala hit two free throws with
5:19 left in the first half.

And then?

Miller put back his own miss and led the charge as the Bulls
scored 21 straight before Young hit 1 of 2 free throws with 35
seconds left. Miller added a layup, hit 2 of 3 free throws after
getting fouled on a 3 and buried two more foul shots.

And after Young's free throw, Rose drove for a layup in closing
seconds to make it a 19-point game at halftime, and he started
the third with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. Hinrich then hit one
of his own to make it 64-39 and give him 701 in his career,
putting him ahead of Gordon.

"I don't feel like I shoot a lot of 3s," Hinrich said. "I just
take them when it's available."

Iverson finally hit a fadeaway jumper for the Sixers' first
field goal since Rodney Carney's put-back with 6:59 left in the
first half, but the Bulls continued to pour it on for their
second straight lopsided home win.

They beat the Knicks by 33 on Tuesday and followed up wins at
New York and Minnesota with another impressive showing against a
struggling Sixers team. With the next two games against
Washington and Indiana, Chicago has a chance to keep the streak
going.

It would help if they had an effective Joakim Noah.

He entered to loud cheers with 3:33 left in the first quarter
and finished with a point and two rebounds in 7 minutes after
missing seven games with plantar fasciitis in his left foot.
That Noah was in uniform was a surprise considering Del Negro
had said he probably wouldn't play.

Warrick, in his first home game since the trade deadline deal
with Milwaukee, whipped the crowd into a frenzy late in the
opening quarter, when he pivoted and threw down a one-handed
facial over Young. The groans were just as loud moments later
when Noah missed a dunk even though he was all alone, and he
heard it from his teammates.

Otherwise, he felt fine.

"I really feel no pain, and I feel really good that we're
playing such good basketball right now," he said.

NOTES: The Bulls' previous low for turnovers was five against
Washington on Feb. 23, 2007. ... Sixers G Willie Green missed
his second game with a slightly separated left shoulder. F Jason
Smith missed his third straight game with a sprained right
ankle, and newcomer Francisco Elson, recovering from hernia
surgery, was not in uniform.

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