There was excitement in the air at the United Center on Wednesday night as Carlos Boozer made his long-awaited debut for the team.
Unfortunately for Chicago, the Orlando Magic had an answer for the new-look Bulls. The Magic were dominant for the entire game. Brandon Bass continued to be a Bulls’ killer. He had 17 points while Dwight Howard added 13 points and 12 rebounds in Orlando’s 107-78 victory over Chicago.
Jameer Nelson and Vince Carter combined for 46 points, while Derrick Rose, Keith Bogans, and Ronnie Brewer only scored a cumulative 22 points.
Orlando completely dominated a usually stellar rebounding Chicago team under the glass. The Chicago Bulls pulled down a franchise record low 21 rebounds, while the Magic had 44. Shockingly, Joakim Noah did not have a single rebound in the game. The assignment of guarding and boxing out Dwight Howard occupied much of Noah’s time. It almost seemed as though Orlando followed up each one of their misses with offensive put-backs.
Carlos Boozer only played 20 minutes and scored five points on 2-of-5 shooting – adding two rebounds, two steals, a block and an assist. He seemed tentitive, but eventually his presence will add a dimension to the Bulls’ offense. On Wednesday night, there was not much effort from any of the Bulls’ on defense. It seemed like they either over-helped or under-helped on every position while trying to defend ball rotation by Orlando.
