There are a dozen games on the slate Friday night, including the Mike D’Antoni Death Watch in Washington. However, the best of the bunch has the Chicago Bulls taking their five-game winning streak to Orlando, where their primary concern may not be Magic center Dwight Howard.
Yes, Howard has been his usual monstrous self lately, ignoring the trade rumors to average 20 points, 18 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in his last five games. Right now, the best strategy appears is to foul him as he has made just 28-of-67 free throws this season.
But Howard’s presence in the paint is turning Ryan Anderson into a shooting star. Anderson is 15th in the NBA with a team-high 19.7 points per game. He leads the league with 25 3-pointers made and 55 attempted, stroking it at almost 46 percent – or better than Howard shoots free throws.
When Anderson is on the floor, opponents cannot play two conventional bigs. That could present a problem for the Bulls, whose starting big men are Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer, their top two rebounders.
In Tuesday’s comeback win over Atlanta, Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau benched Noah and Boozer in the fourth quarter, going with Omer Asik at center and Taj Gibson at power forward. Gibson matched up with Atlanta’s Josh Smith, who is not a 3-point shooter but does have quickness and some range that Boozer could not deal with.
The following night in Detroit, Thibodeau went back to Noah and Boozer, who responded with a combined 32 points and 18 rebounds. But if Anderson is on the floor Friday, Boozer might be back on the bench.
The Bulls can counter with Derrick Rose breaking down Jameer Nelson off the dribble, creating for himself and others, and getting Howard into foul trouble. Rose averaged 25 points and 6.3 assists in four games vs. the Magic last season.
With last year’s first-round exit and the rumors swirling around Howard, Orlando is not being taken very seriously as an Eastern Conference contender. The Magic are 5-2 but have been beating up on weak teams. If they want to be mentioned with Boston, Miami and Chicago, a win Friday would be a good place to start.