Bulls Vs. Wizards: Carlos Boozer, Derrick Rose Lead Chicago To 87-80 Win

The Washington Wizards were competitive against the Chicago Bulls tonight at the Verizon Center. They held Chicago to under 100 points and hung around for most of the game. In the end, though, Derrick Rose and Carlos Boozer were enough to lead the Bulls to an 87-80 win.

Boozer had 30 points and 10 rebounds, while Rose added 25 points to lead the Bulls. Boozer also hit the critical shot that put the Bulls up by five with under a minute left to play, which gave the Bulls an 85-80 lead. The Wizards had a chance to cut that deficit, but Nick Young airballed a three-pointer and that was their last gasp.

The Wizards just couldn't score consistently enough in the game, particularly down the stretch. The Wizards' two starting big men -- Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee, combined to score just seven points on 3-17 shooting, as they were outclassed by Chicago's big men. Blatche was even booed at one point during his 3-14 effort. Nick Young led the Wizards with 22 points, while Kirk Hinrich added 19 and Josh Howard added 13 off the bench. 

Rashard Lewis scored eight points on 4-10 shooting in 14 minutes in his first game with the team.

Bulls Vs. Wizards: Rashard Lewis Makes His Debut Against Derrick Rose And Chicago

The Chicago Bulls roll into the Verizon Center to take on the Wizards on Wednesday night in what was supposed to be a premier matchup between Derrick Rose and John Wall. Alas, Wall is injured and will not play for the rest of the week, if not longer. So instead, it'll just be Rose and his Bulls taking on the short-handed Wizards.

The Bulls are coming off a 121-76 blowout win over the Philadelphia 76ers last night, in a game that prompted this response from SB Nation's Bulls blog Blog a Bull:

There are wins, there are blowouts, and then there's a game like this.

At 17-9, the Bulls are among the best teams in the Eastern Conference, but the Wizards have played well recently, nearly beating Miami and then blowing out Charlotte on Monday night. The Bulls are also missing center Joakim Noah, who is out with an injury. Even without Wall and the traded Gilbert Arenas, the Wizards have a shot.

This will also mark the debut for Rashard Lewis, the guy acquired for Arenas. Lewis is expected to come off the bench in this game.