It was a chance to make up for their last loss of 2010, an ugly game vs. the Bulls in Chicago on New Year's Eve. The Nets had lost five in a row, the Bulls had won five straight. In the end, the Nets won it on broken play. After being up by 12 in the third, their best scoring quarter this season, and nine in the fourth, the Nets saw the lead slip away, then disappear. With six seconds left, Sasha Vujacic grabbed the ball after a broken alley oop between Devin Harris and Brook Lopez and deposited in the basket. A desperation three by Derrick Rose fell short.
The Nets played an energetic game, particularly from the bench. Kris Humphries, coming off the bench for Derrick Favors, had perhaps one of the best games of his career with 20 points and 11 rebounds, half his points coming on dramatic dunks. Vujacic had 13 points including the game-winner, including 3 for 7 from deep. Harris finished with 18 point and 11 assists. Lopez had 14 and Stephen Graham 11. Favors played only nine minutes because of foul trouble, picking up 7 points and 5 rebounds.
Rose finished with 21 points but only one assist and Tom Thibodeau, the Bulls coach, found his late benching of Carlos Boozer the subject of controversy. Boozer's poor defense on Humphries put him on the pine for the last 14 minutes of the game.
- Boxscore - NBA.com
- Game Highlights (Video) - NBA.com
- Nets-Bulls notebook - Jake Appleman - NBA.com
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Dunk of the Night: Kris Humphries (Video) - NBA.com
- Nets edge Bulls on Vujacic's winning basket - Brian Mahoney - AP
- Rapid Reaction: Nets 96, Bulls 94 - Mike Mazzeo - ESPN New York
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Rapid Reaction: Nets 96, Bulls 94 - Nick Friedell - ESPN Chicago
- Luck be a Net in 96-94 win over Bulls - Mike Mazzeo - ESPN New York
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Humphries' performance overshadows Favors' first NBA start - Mike Mazzeo - ESPN New York
- Sasha Vujacic's late put-back lifts Nets over Bulls, 96-94 - Dave Hutchinson - Star-Ledger
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Derrick Favors starts for Nets, but Kris Humphries steals show - Dave Hutchinson - Star-Ledger
- Nets GM not concerned about Brook Lopez's rebounding - Colin Stephenson - Star-Ledger
- Sasha helps Nets end 5-game skid - Fred Kerber - New York Post
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New role suits Humphries - Fred Kerber - New York Post
- Sasha Vujacic nails game-winner, Kris Humpries gets double-double as Nets beat Bulls 96-94 - Stefan Bondy - New York Daily News
- Nets snap five-game losing streak with 96-95 win over Bulls - Al Iannazzone - The Record
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Nets notes: Kris Humphries not cross - Al Iannazzone - The Record
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A First for Favors - Al Iannazzone - In the 'Zzone
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Humphries starts something off the bench - Al Iannazzone - The Nets Insider
- Post-Game Plus (Video) - Nancy Newman - YES Network
- From the booth (Video) - Ian Eagle & Mike Fratello - YES Network
- Avery Johnson Press Conference (Video) - YES Network
- Sasha Vujacic Interview (Video) - Jessica Taff - YES Network
- Derrick Favors Gets First Start - Ben Osborne - SLAM
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NETS: Sasha's Surprise Shot & Favors' 1st Start - Ben Couch - New Jersey Nets
- Impressing hard-driving Thibodeau a tough task for Bulls - Steve Aschburner - NBA.com
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Bulls burned by bad habits vs. Nets - Nick Friedell - ESPN Chicago
- An out-of-tune clunker - John Jackson - Chicago Sun-Times
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Boozer’s benching brings first note of disharmony among Thib’s band - John Jackson - Chicago Sun-Times
- Thibodeau likes what he’s seeing from Asik - John Jackson - Chicago Sun-Times
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Disappointing 96-94 loss to Nets creates questions for Bulls - K.C. Johnson - Chicago Tribune
- Nets 96, Bulls 94 - Bulls Blogger - Blog-a-Bull
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BULLS: Bulls unable to counter Nyet Threat - Sam Smith - Chicago Bulls