Bulls back in running
This is no bull: Chicago has climbed all the way back into a playoff spot and shows no sign of slowing down.
Andre Nocioni scored 21 points and grabbed 13 rebounds and Ben Gordon had 21 points to lead Chicago past the 76ers, 99-92, last night in Philadelphia, in a game with major playoff implications.
Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich both scored 14 points and Tyson Chandler grabbed 15 rebounds for the Bulls, who moved into the eighth and final playoff spot in the East. The Bulls (35-40) own a half-game lead on the slumping Sixers (34-40) and the rematch is Saturday night in Chicago. The Sixers host the Celtics tomorrow.
The Sixers have lost 12 of their last 16 games, none bigger than a 33-point loss Tuesday at Cleveland.
Hawks 101, Timberwolves 99 -- Josh Childress delivered the winning basket as time expired to give host Atlanta the win over Minnesota, extending the Timberwolves' road drought to 13 games.
After Ricky Davis made a layup to tie the game at 99, the Timberwolves didn't defend Childress as he streaked down the court to catch a long pass from Zaza Pachulia. Childress scored on an uncontested layup as time expired.
Pacers 111, Raptors 103 -- Peja Stojakovic and Stephen Jackson scored 25 points each, and Indiana held on to beat Toronto in Indianapolis.
Jermaine O'Neal scored 18 points and Anthony Johnson added 16 as the Pacers (36-38) snapped a five-game losing streak.
The Pacers hold the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race and closed to within a half-game of sixth-place Milwaukee (37-38), which lost to Orlando.
Magic 108, Bucks 105 -- Hedo Turkoglu had 24 points, including two key last-minute free throws and a steal, and host Orlando eked out a victory over Milwaukee despite a dominating performance by guard T.J. Ford.
Ford finished with a career-high 34 points, 11 assists and 6 rebounds, while Bucks star Michael Redd had 25 points and six rebounds.
Knicks 96, Cavaliers 94 -- Jamal Crawford scored a season-high 37 points, including the go-ahead jumper with 6.4 seconds left, and host New York withstood a huge fourth quarter from LeBron James to beat Cleveland.
James scored 21 of his 36 points in the final period, including a basket that tied it for the final time at 94 with 27 seconds left.
Hornets 114, Warriors 109 -- Chris Paul got his second triple-double in three games and set up Kirk Snyder's go-ahead alley-oop dunk in overtime as New Orleans beat Golden State in Oklahoma City, keeping pace in the playoff race.
Paul had 17 points, a career-high 16 assists and 10 rebounds.
Kings 97, Spurs 87 -- Mike Bibby scored 31 points and had eight assists, and Sacramento bolstered its playoff hopes with a victory in San Antonio.
Trail Blazers 76, Rockets 75 -- Host Portland snapped an 11-game losing streak when Sebastian Telfair hit a jumper with 27.7 seconds to go for a victory over Houston.
