Tuesday night's matchup against the New Orleans Hornets offered a rare opportunity for the Chicago Bulls to play at full strength. Shooting guard Rip Hamilton returned to the lineup after missing months with a groin injury, and helped Chicago build a first quarter lead before the Hornets stormed ahead in the second to take a 50-47 lead into the break.
The Bulls were outscored 24-17 in the second quarter. Chris Kamen has been great for New Orleans -- though not great enough to back up Bulls announcer Stacey King's assertion that he's the third best center in the NBA. Kamen has 10 points and six rebounds at the break. Guard Greivis Vasquez also has 10 points for New Orleans.
Hamilton converted an And-1 in the opening minute, but those were the only three points he'd score in seven minutes of action. Joakim Noah has 13 points and five rebounds on 6-of-8 shooting. Derrick Rose has 11 points on 5-of-11 shooting.
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