Hooped Up

In the Bulls matchup with the Pistons, which continues Thursday night with Game 3 at the United Center, Ben Wallace is averaging more points than Ben Gordon and Kirk Hinrich and is shooting better than those two and Luol Deng.

In other words, the Bulls’ top three scorers have to find their touch or they will have a long off-season to search for it.

As usual, coach Scott Skiles answered a question about this dynamic with about as much nuance as a fist to the jaw.

“Let’s face it: Our main players have to step up,” Skiles said. “That’s what happens this time of year. That’s how you advance.”

Deng’s dominance and Gordon’s aggressiveness were big reasons the Bulls swept the defending NBA champion Heat in the first round. Hinrich is struggling offensively for the second straight series.

The threesome is shooting a combined 37.9 percent.

Chicago Tribune