After expressing optimism about playing to teammates early Friday, Deng didn't feel right during pregame warm-ups.

"It feels fine when I'm running up and down," Deng said. "It's when I change direction or try to drive to the basket or play defense. When I push off with that foot, pain's still there. It's one of those things where I could play but I don't know how it would feel throughout the game. I could end up being out longer. We're trying to be smart about it."

In a nod to Warriors coach Don Nelson's small-ball lineup that features Corey Maggette at power forward, Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro started Thabo Sefolosha for Deng. That meant an unconventional lineup of Drew Gooden and four perimeter players -- Sefolosha, Larry Hughes, Ben Gordon and Derrick Rose.

"It makes it tougher, but we have to go with the guys who are healthy," Del Negro said. "They're small and we have a bunch of small guys. They get up and down the court. Transition defense is really, really vital."

Getting back carried multiple meanings Friday night as Del Negro wanted to see his team return to the more resilient bunch rather than the group that disappeared during Wednesday night's embarrassing, 42-point loss in Portland.

Del Negro gave his players all of Thursday off as a mental health day after the blowout.

"We've responded all year," Del Negro said. "I just think our guys will continue to play hard."

The Warriors entered as the league's second-highest scoring team, averaging 105 points to rank behind the Knicks. And this was before they acquired former Bull Jamal Crawford from New York earlier Friday in a trade for disgruntled forward Al Harrington.

Crawford attended the Knicks morning shootaround in Milwaukee before the trade became official. He will meet his new team Saturday in Philadelphia, where the Warriors begin an extended trip Sunday.

"The Warriors have been one of the most fun and entertaining teams in the league and my abilities are very conducive with their style and needs," Crawford said.

Layups: Talk around the league is the Clippers will keep all three big men after acquiring Zach Randolph from the Knicks to see how it works playing Randolph with Marcus Camby and Chris Kaman in the short term. The Bulls, who obviously desire a scoring big man, will monitor that situation to see if Kaman becomes available. They hae expressed interest in Camby in the past but likely will chase only Kaman if he becomes available. ... Deng is in the market for a new agent because Jason Levien, who negotiated his six-year, $71 million deal last summer, has accepted an assistant general manager position with Sacramento. The Kings are expected to announce the hire officially next month.

kcjohnson@tribune.com

For Friday's late result

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