The obvious matchup going in to this game was John Wall vs. Derrick Rose. So far, that hasn't exactly been the case as Rose has shot only 2 for 8 from the floor while Wall shot 1 for 6. The Bulls lead by a score of 25-20 after the first quarter.
Chicago has cleaned up on the glass thanks in large part to Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah, who have five rebounds each. The Bulls have done an especially good job cleaning up the offensive glass, which has made a difference since neither team is shooting particularly well from the floor. That excludes Noah, who has shot 5 for 6 and leads all scorers with 10 points. The Wizards hot a lowly 9 for 24 from the field in the first quarter.
Andray Blatche is back in the starting lineup, but hasn't had much of an impact so far with two points and two rebounds.
While the Bulls have out-rebounded and out-shot the Wizards, they have also turned the ball over quite a bit, allowing Washington to keep this game close.