Streaking Bulls pile on late points to beat Magic

A(Reuters) - The Chicago Bulls extended their winning streak to six games with a late run to pull away from the Orlando Magic 97-83 at the Amway Center on Friday.

The Bulls held off a late push by the Magic that narrowed a 17-point lead to just three at 80-77 with six minutes left before securing the victory by limiting the Magic to just one more field goal.

Chicago's Kyle Korver had two of his five three-pointers in the game to stretch the winning margin.

Derrick Rose and Luol Deng led the Bulls attack with 21 points each, Carlos Boozer scored 20 and Korver had 18 off the bench. Rose also had 10 assists and Boozer pulled down 13 rebounds to record double-doubles.

"I thought he (Rose) had a really good command of the game," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters. "He did a great job of play-making and when he needed to score, he scored."

Dwight Howard scored 14 of his 28 points in the first quarter to keep the Magic close early, but the Bulls seized control of the game in the second quarter with Howard on the bench, building a 10-point lead at halftime.

Howard also had 15 rebounds for a double-double and Jason Richardson added 17 points.

"Quite simply we're not at that level. Not close," conceded Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy.

"And that's OK; I'm not saying that crying or complaining. That's just the way it is. You've got to face reality. We've got to put in the work to reach that level, because right now we're not close to that level of play."

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NBA's Bulls beat Hawks to reach Eastern Final

(Reuters) - The Chicago Bulls advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 1998 with a series-clinching 93-73 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday.

Displaying the kind of offensive and defensive balance that earned them the best regular-season record, the Bulls brushed past the Hawks to close out the best-of-seven series 4-2.

Chicago will now face the surging Miami Heat for a place in the NBA Finals.

League MVP Derrick Rose delivered one of his most efficient performances of the postseason, finishing with 19 points and 12 assists while taking just 14 shots -- well below his series average of more than 27 attempts per game.

Rose's team mates carried more of the load with Carlos Boozer tallying 23 points and 10 rebounds.

The Hawks were blitzed from the start, trailing by 10 after the first and second quarters, before falling behind by 17 after three.

Joe Johnson scored a team-high 19 points and Josh Smith added 18 for the Hawks.

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Rose scores 36 as Bulls top Pacers 96-90 in Game 2

CHICAGO – Two playoff games, two dramatic victories for the favored Chicago Bulls, and all is right in Carlos Boozer's eyes.

Derrick Rose scored 36 points, Boozer added 17 points and 16 rebounds, and top-seeded Chicago escaped with another comeback victory over Indiana, beating the Pacers 96-90 on Monday night in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.

"Every game will be tough," Boozer said. "There's not going to be any easy games in this playoffs in any series. So we look forward to some more tough games. We're built for that. We've had close games all season, and we don't expect any easy games."

Rose went wild again, scoring eight points over the final 4 minutes. Kyle Korver, who made a tiebreaking 3-pointer in Chicago's opening 104-99 victory Saturday, connected from long range to make it 90-85 with just over a minute left.

The Pacers still wouldn't go away.

A.J. Price drew a foul on Rose and hit three free throws to get Indiana within two with 23.4 seconds remaining. But Luol Deng made two free throws, Mike Dunleavy missed a 3-point attempt at the other end and Ronnie Brewer hit two foul shots to help the Bulls hold on.

Chicago made its last 16 free throws to finish 27 for 34.

"Our play has to get better," said Rose, who powered the Bulls to an NBA-best 62-20 record in the regular season. "We have to be more smooth, more efficient, especially on the defensive end where we have to try a lot harder. But I feel like we're going to get things together pretty quickly."

The Pacers were right there even though they lost Darren Collison to a sprained left ankle late in the first half. Collison said X-rays were negative but he isn't sure if he will be available for Thursday night's Game 3 at Conseco Fieldhouse.

"Right now, it's just real sore and swelled up pretty bad," he said.

Indiana threw a few more looks at Rose but still couldn't corral the dynamic point guard, who also had eight rebounds and six assists — and six of Chicago's 22 turnovers.

"We did a great job on him all night," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "He's a great player. He made key plays down the stretch to win a game for them."

Rose, likely headed for his first NBA MVP award, scored 39 points in Game 1, when Chicago closed with a 16-1 run to avoid the upset. He didn't get to the line quite as much this time but made the most of his opportunities, hitting 12 of 13 free throws after making 19 of 21 in the opener.

"I feel like this was the sequel to the Derrick Rose show," Indiana forward Danny Granger said. "It really just happened all over again."

Boozer came up big after a quiet Game 1 to help the Bulls dominate the boards (57-33) and come away with the win despite shooting 38.6 percent and a rash of turnovers.

Granger led Indiana with 19 points, but Tyler Hansbrough struggled, finishing with just six points on 2-of-12 shooting after scoring 22 points in the opener.

"We feel like we've outplayed them for most of the series," Price said.

Indiana's T.J. Ford provided the shot of the game when he banked in a 55-foot heave at the third-quarter buzzer to tie it at 67, sending loud oohs and aahs through the arena.

But the Bulls let out a big sigh of relief in the end. They realize there's plenty of room for improvement, but they're still in control.

For that, they can thank Rose.

"He made big play after big play," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "He kept attacking the basket. They put a lot of pressure on him. He made the right play. He made the right decisions."

NOTES: Bulls G Ronnie Brewer said he doesn't expect his sprained left thumb to heal until after the season and will likely play with pain the rest of the way. "It's not like it's just going to heal after a day or two," he said. "We practice every day. It's not like I'm sitting out or taking plays off." ... Former Bull Cliff Levingston presented the game ball before the opening tip. ... Fans cheered Bears coach Lovie Smith when he was shown during a timeout late in the first quarter. ... The Pacers have not won a playoff game since Game 3 of their first-round series with New Jersey in 2006. They dropped the next three games to bow out in six and did not get back to the postseason until this year. ... Price finished with 13 points.

 

source: AP/foxnews

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Bulls trample Celtics in home race

(Reuters) - The Chicago Bulls beat the Boston Celtics 97-81 on Thursday to open a four-game lead at the top of the Eastern Conference and move to within one victory of clinching home-court advantage throughout the NBA playoffs.

Chicago (58-20), winners of 17 of their last 19 games, closed out the third quarter with an 11-4 run to pull away from the Celtics (54-24).

"This meant a lot because you're going against a team you could see in the playoffs," Bulls guard Derrick Rose told reporters after scoring a game-high 30 points.

"You don't want those teams to have confidence. We were aggressive. That's the way it's going to be. We're a tough team. We grind wins out."

The Bulls allowed the Celtics just four field goals in the fourth quarter and, with just four games remaining, Chicago look like genuine title contenders.

"I just thought they were far more physical, tougher, more prepared, which is on me," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. "I thought Thibs (Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau) did a better job.

"I thought (Carlos) Boozer did a better job, I thought Derrick Rose did a better job. I just thought overall they just competed far better than us tonight."

MVP candidate Rose added eight assists for the Bulls and Luol Deng scored 18 of his 23 points in the second half.

The Celtics were led by Paul Pierce with 15 points while Kevin Garnett scored 10 and Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen were limited to seven each.

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Rose, Korver lead Bulls to rout of Kings

CHICAGO (AP) – Derrick Rose and Kyle Korver scored 18 points apiece as the Chicago Bulls routed the Sacramento Kings 132-92 on Monday night.

The win gave the Bulls (50-19) their first 50-win season since 1997-98 and allowed Chicago to remain tied with Boston atop the Eastern Conference. The Celtics beat the New York Knicks on Monday.

Carlos Boozer scored 16 points in his return to the Bulls' lineup after missing five games with a sprained left ankle. He joined a balanced Bulls attack that had eight players scoring in double figures in a game that was not close after the first period.

Marcus Thornton led the Kings with 25 points.

With the game well in hand, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau was able to rest his top players. Rose played just 28 minutes, his lowest total of the season. He didn't play in the fourth quarter.

The Bulls shot 61.3 percent from the field. More aggressive from the outset, Chicago forced 22 Sacramento turnovers and held a 36-7 edge in fastbreak points. The Bulls' points total were a season high.

The Bulls have won 13 straight at the United Center, their longest home winning streak since 1997-98. At 31-4, the Bulls have the NBA's second-best home record behind San Antonio (32-3).

Chicago led by as many as 25 in the third period, reaching that advantage when Keith Bogans lobbed a pass toward the rim on a fastbreak and Rose flew in from the baseline and dunked it with both hands.

C.J. Watson's steal and alley-oop pass for Ronnie Brewer's dunk highlighted a 9-2 Bulls run, that pushed the lead to 13 early in the second quarter.

Chicago pushed the lead to 19 points on a pair of 3-pointers by Korver late in the first half and led 64-47 at the break.

The Bulls shot 66.7 percent in the first half. Thornton scored 18 points for the Kings in the half.

Sacramento, which entered the game averaging more turnovers (16.1) than all but two NBA teams, had 12 miscues in the first 18 minutes, leading to 19 Chicago points.

Boozer was aggressive early, taking four shots in the game's first four minutes. He had six points, two rebounds and three assists in the opening quarter.

The Bulls led 34-28 after one quarter. Bogans, who entered averaging 4.0 points, scored seven in the first 12 minutes, matching Rose for the team high.

Rose's double-pump, reverse dunk on a breakaway gave the Bulls a six-point first-quarter lead and ignited the crowd at United Center.

Thornton led the Kings with nine points in the opening period.

Notes: Chicago mascot "Benny the Bull" celebrated his birthday. He was joined by mascots flown in from other teams as party of a halftime party. ... The win might have helped the Bulls overcome the painful memory of Sacramento's last visit to Chicago. On Dec. 21, 2009, the Kings erased a 35-point third quarter deficit and beat Chicago 102-98. It was the NBA's biggest comeback in over 13 years. ... The 1997-98 Bulls won their 50th game on March 20, one day before this year's Bulls reached that mark. ... Thornton has scored 20 or more points in nine of Sacramento's last 12 games. ... This is the 14th time in franchise history that the Bulls have won 50 or more games. ... The Bulls improved to 38-2 when holding teams under 95 points or less this season

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