BULLS SURVIVE ANOTHER OT

Chicago 102, Orlando 101, OT

April 6,2005

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- The Orlando Magic are running out of time to make a playoff push.

Kirk Hinrich scored 25 points, Tyson Chandler added 15 points and 22 rebounds and the Chicago Bulls beat Orlando 102-101 on Wednesday night to deal the Magic's postseason hopes a serious blow.

Combined with Philadelphia's win over Charlotte, Orlando is 2 1/2 games out of the Eastern Conference's eighth and final playoff berth with seven games remaining. The Magic have lost three of four, and Grant Hill is out indefinitely with a sore left shin.

``It may look bleak, but I've seen stranger things happen,'' Orlando coach Chris Jent said. ``But we can't keep saying that.''

Hill, who has missed three straight games, underwent a CT scan earlier Wednesday and the team hopes to know the results Thursday.

Orlando general manager John Weisbrod said the pain in the shin isn't related to the ankle woes that sidelined Hill for most of the previous three seasons.

The Bulls' victory came on the heels of a loss at Miami on Tuesday, which snapped their nine-game winning streak.

Chicago now has a one-game lead over Washington for fourth place after the Wizards lost 105-93 to Detroit.

After Ben Gordon missed a runner on Chicago's final possession, Antonio Davis rebounded and was fouled by Kelvin Cato on the put-back try. Davis, shooting 74 percent from the line this season, missed the first then swished the second.

``After missing the first one you don't feel good about the second one,'' said Davis, finished with 11 points and 14 rebounds. ``But you step up, relax and shoot it the same way.

``Once it went down I felt good, but you have to play defense because Stevie Francis has shown time and time again that he can score the ball with 1.9 seconds or whatever the case may be.''

But Francis never got the ball. Orlando's bid for victory in its first overtime game of the season didn't come close, as Jameer Nelson's wild 3-pointer missed everything.

Francis had 28 points and 11 assists for the Magic, while Nelson added 18 points and eight rebounds.
Dwight Howard had 14 points, 15 rebounds and a season-high seven blocks. The Magic blocked 15 shots, a season best.

Orlando, running and rebounding with vigor, opened an early 16-point lead. Howard had a three-point play off a fast break, and followed that with a fast-break dunk for a 23-7 lead.

Meanwhile, Chicago missed 16 of its first 19 shots.

``That first quarter was about as bad as we've played,'' Chicago coach Scott Skiles said.

Howard had eight rebounds early in the second quarter, only to pick up his second and third fouls over the next two minutes. That sent him to the bench, and the Bulls took advantage with a 23-10 tear over the next eight minutes to take the lead.

The teams were tied 49-all at halftime.

Notes

The Bulls are 3-1 in overtime. ... Orlando was the last team in the league to play an overtime game this season ... Chicago center Eddy Curry (irregular heartbeat) missed his fourth consecutive game, while Othella Harrington (wife giving birth) wasn't with the team for a second straight game. ... The last time Orlando lost a season series to Chicago was the 1997-98 season. Also, the Bulls hadn't won three straight games in Orlando since January 1991-January 1993, when they took four in a row. ... Francis was hit with a technical foul, his 21st, midway through the third quarter. ... Later in the period, Cato received a technical for shoving Andres Nocioni.

NINE STRAIGHT WINS

Chicago 112, Charlotte 97

April 2,2005

CHICAGO (AP) -- Not even injuries can slow down the Chicago Bulls.

Othella Harrington scored 22 points and the Bulls won their ninth straight game with a 112-97 win over the Charlotte Bobcats on Saturday night.

The Bulls easily extended their season-high winning streak and moved 10 games over .500 despite missing two players. Chicago moved a half-game behind the Washington Wizards for the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

``This is something special. I hope that all the young guys on the team understand that streaks like this don't come around very often in the NBA,'' said Chicago's Eric Piatkowski, who had 19 points in the win. ``It just doesn't happen.

You can play many, many years in this league, unless you are fortunate to have Shaquille O'Neal on your team or have a team like maybe the Detroit Pistons or San Antonio Spurs are right now, it's tough to do things like that.''

Eddy Curry missed his third straight game and remained hospitalized for more testing on an irregular heartbeat. Luol Deng also missed the game for Chicago with a sprained right wrist.

Kirk Hinrich played despite a sore left hamstring and Ben Gordon only played 13 minutes because of foul trouble, but the Bulls never had problems with the struggling Bobcats.

``We got the win and I was able to not over play Kirk tonight, which was nice. I kind of saw him make a move and kind of grimace a little bit, so it was nice to get him out of there and still get the win,'' said Bulls coach Scott Skiles.

Leading 72-71, the Bulls started to pull away late in the third quarter. Piatkowski and Jannero Pargo hit consecutive 3-pointers and Andres Nocioni converted a three-point play to put Chicago up 81-71.

Hinrich extended Chicago's lead to 97-80 with a 3 with 6:28 left in the game.

Nocioni finished with 15 points and Tyson Chandler had 12 points and 15 rebounds for Chicago.

``It seems like whenever somebody gets hurt or is out, somebody else steps up,'' Chandler said.

Chris Duhon hit a halfcourt shot as time expired in the third quarter and scored a season-high 17 points.

Charlotte lost its fourth straight game and is 1-22 on the road against Eastern Conference opponents.

Rookie Emeka Okafor was impressive early for the Bobcats and finished with 28 points and 16 rebounds. Matt Carroll scored career-high 20 for Charlotte.

``I just got off to a fast start. Brevin (Knight) did a good job of finding the ball to me. I just had the magic touch and we went with it,'' Okafor said.

The Bobcats lost Gerald Wallace in the second quarter when he was ejected by official Joe Crawford. Wallace was called for an illegal screen and angrily argued the call by Crawford. Crawford gave Wallace two quick technicals.

Chicago led 57-52 at the half. Okafor scored 16 points in the first quarter on 7-of-8 shooting.

Notes

The Bulls made their first seven shots of the game. ... Chandler had 15 rebounds for the second straight game. ... Gordon finished with two points. ... The Bulls went 4-0 against the Bobcats this season.

BULLS SURVIVE OVERTIME

Chicago 102, Cleveland 90, OT

April 1,2005

CHICAGO (AP) -- LeBron James' game-tying 3-pointer at the end of regulation could have crushed the Chicago Bulls.

Instead, it made them more determined to keep their winning streak intact.

``Going in the huddle we were not demoralized. We were ready to play more. As a matter of fact they were angry about it. We just came right out and took control right away,'' Chicago coach Scott Skiles said.

That the Bulls did, opening overtime with an 11-0 run to defeat James and the Cleveland Cavaliers 102-90 Thursday night for their eighth straight victory. The winning streak is Chicago's longest of the season and extended the Bulls' lead over Cleveland in the East to 2 1/2 games.

``We are on a roll here. We are four games out of first. We want to continue to move up,'' Skiles said.

Tyson Chandler scored five of his 15 points in overtime and had 14 rebounds. Ben Gordon scored 21 and had a career-high eight assists, while Antonio Davis added 17 points, four in overtime.

Drew Gooden scored 27 points and had 12 rebounds for the Cavaliers, and James added 26 on 10-of-28 shooting against the tough defense of rookie Andres Nocioni.

``It seemed they wanted it more as a home game, and they outbattled us for loose balls and finished the plays down the stretch,'' Gooden said.

James missed all three of his shots in overtime when the Cavaliers were outscored 14-2 and didn't manage a field goal.

Chandler converted a three-point play with 2.8 seconds left in regulation after a splendid pass from Gordon to put the

Bulls up 88-85 in regulation. But after a timeout, James curled to get the inbounds pass, and when the Bulls didn't foul him, he took one dribble and let fly with his 3-pointer from the left side of the arc.

``I got a good screen from my big guys,'' James said. ``I knew I had 2.8 seconds to go, so I just took my time and let it ride.''

In overtime, Davis and Kirk Hinrich hit jumpers, Chandler converted another three-point play, Davis hit two more from the line and Nocioni sank a jumper to cap the 11-0 spurt.

``LeBron hits that big shot and we respond,'' Davis said. ``You got young guys on the floor and you see them put their head down. But they put it down for a second and picked it right back up and a light goes off. That was something all last year we couldn't do.''

Eddy Curry, the team's leading scorer, remained in Charlotte for treatment of an irregular heartbeat that prevented him from playing Wednesday night as well. But Chandler and Davis, who played 48 minutes at age 36, took up the slack.

``I think he will be fine and we miss him,'' Davis said. ``We were going in saying, `We don't have Eddy, we have to make up for all he brings to this team.'''

Davis took an inbounds pass and hit a turnaround jumper just before the third quarter buzzer go put the Bulls ahead 67-61. The Bull increased the lead to eight early in the fourth when Davis made three free throws and a basket on the break.

Gooden hit his first six shots and scored 15 of Cleveland's first 21 points.

James struggled with his shooting in the first half, missing six of 10 field goal attempts and three of five from the line, but his slashing drive on a break put the Cavs up 48-46 at the half.

Notes

Kirk Hinrich returned after missing five games with a sore hamstring. ... The Cavs have lost 12 of 13 on the road. ... The Bulls had to fly from Charlotte to Chicago on Thursday morning because of equipment problems with their plane Wednesday night.

GORDON WINS AGAIN

Chicago 102, Charlotte 99

March 30, 2005

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Ben Gordon showed Emeka Okafor why the Rookie of the Year award is still up for grabs.

Gordon scored 22 of his career-high 35 points in the fourth quarter Wednesday night to lead the Chicago Bulls to their seventh straight win, 102-99 over the Charlotte Bobcats.

Gordon drained a tie-breaking 3-pointer with 42.8 seconds left, then gave Chicago a 101-97 lead on another 3 with 21.7 seconds left.

``I was just feeling it,'' said Gordon, who scored the Bulls' final 16 points. ``I was getting good looks, I was freeing myself up, and all I needed was a split second.''

Othella Harrington added 16 points and eight rebounds and Jannero Pargo also scored 16 for the Bulls, who won their seventh straight game despite being without their top two scorers. Eddy Curry was a late scratch with flu-like symptoms, while Kirk Hinrich missed his fifth straight game with a strained left hamstring.

The Bulls, who came into the game leading the NBA with 39.2 bench points per game, rode the 8-of-12 fourth-quarter shooting of Gordon, who's also a candidate for Sixth Man of the Year.

``I thought they outplayed us most of the game, but Ben just got hot down the stretch,'' Bulls coach Scott Skiles said. ``He's a very, very good shooter. There are very few guys who can shoot like him and that are not afraid to take big shots.''

Gerald Wallace scored 23 points, while Okafor and Primoz Brezec each had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Bobcats.

Okafor has been considered by many to be the front runner for the rookie award, but now may be overtaken by his former college teammate at Connecticut.

``When Ben gets in a zone, he just turns it on,'' Okafor said. ``I was with him for three years, so I've seen everything.''

Charlotte point guard Brevin Knight and Chicago forward Tyson Chandler were ejected after getting tangled up going for a loose ball with 5:22 left. Both began shoving each other, and Chandler cocked his arm but was restrained by teammates.

``He grabbed my leg when I ran to the ball,'' Chandler said. ``I tried to kick him off my leg, get him off of me.''

``It was just two guys getting a little heated,'' Knight said. ``I don't know if it warranted an ejection.''

The Bulls scored the next six points after the ejections to take a 91-86 lead on Gordon's 3-pointer. Charlotte, left with only Jason Hart to run the point with Knight gone, fought back to tie the game on Wallace's 3, then took the lead on Keith Bogans' drive with 2:12 left.

But in the end, the Bobcats couldn't stop Gordon.

``That was about as good a performance I have seen in a critical time in a basketball game for -- not only a rookie, but for anybody,'' Bobcats coach Bernie Bickerstaff said.

Notes

Skiles said Hinrich remains day-to-day. ``He felt like he was better today, but he's still not close,'' Skiles said. ... Bobcats reserve Theron Smith, who was placed on the injured list last week, had right knee surgery Tuesday and will miss the rest of the season. Bickerstaff said Smith should've informed the team's medical staff about the injury sooner. ``It's OK to be tough, but he didn't make a good decision. I told him we're upset with him,'' Bickerstaff said.

SIX WINS IN A ROW

Chicago 94, Memphis 86

March 29, 2005

CHICAGO (AP) -- By the time the Memphis Grizzlies figured how to stop Eddy Curry, it was too late. The Chicago Bulls had built a huge lead and hung on Monday night for their sixth straight win.

``Unfortunately the damage was done,'' said Grizzlies forward Shane Battier.

Curry made his first five shots in the second half and helped Chicago's lead reach 18 before the Bulls withstood a fourth-quarter rally for a 94-86 victory.

``They were making a run and we had to do something to stop it. Otherwise it was going to be a sad day,'' Curry said after scoring 25 points, just two in the final quarter on a pair of free throws.

Ben Gordon added 17 points for the Bulls, while Tyson Chandler had 14 rebounds and scored 13 points, including a pair of free throws with 12.4 seconds left to help the Bulls seal the win.

Bonzi Wells scored 22 of his season-high 30 points in the second half, including 11 to spark a 21-5 Memphis run in the fourth quarter.

``I got in a zone a little bit and coach kept calling my number and that hasn't happened in a while,'' Wells said.

``I wanted to come in and spark some kind of a run for us, and no matter what I did it was not enough.''
Battier played tough defense against Curry, limiting him to one shot in the fourth quarter, but the Grizzlies could never pull even.

Memphis trailed 81-63 but then took off and twice got within two -- the last time at 88-86 on Mike Miller's jumper with 2:31 to go.

But in the stretch, Wells missed three shots and Miller two as Chicago emerged with a victory that put it a season-high seven games over .500.

The Bulls are chasing Washington for the fourth playoff spot in the East.

``We keep playing this way and we can go pretty high, pretty far. But we can't have lapses like we had (tonight) when we gave up that lead,'' Curry said.

The Bulls also won for the fourth time in a row without floor leader Kirk Hinrich, forced to sit again with a sore hamstring.

``We know we can't make as many mistakes as we could when Kirk was out there. He gets everybody in the right rotation and without him, it's that much tougher,'' said Curry.

``I'm just trying to do my part to help us win games with Kirk out. He's the guy who runs the show for us and when we don't have him out there, things can get a little haywire.''

Curry put on a clinic to start the third quarter, making his first five shots to score Chicago's first 10 points, including eight in a row. He had three jump hooks, a dunk and then a left-handed layin as the Bulls went on a 14-5 run to increase their nine-point halftime lead to 65-47.

But he didn't hit another field goal and didn't score again until hitting two free throws with 2:48 to give the

Bulls a four-point lead. He finished 10-for-19 from the field.

``We tried to make him work more for his touches,'' Battier said.

``What can you say about a guy like that? He's a monster,'' Wells said.

Chandler converted a three-point play early in the fourth quarter after officials conferred and changed an offensive foul against him to a blocking foul on Brian Cardinal. That gave the Bulls a 15-point lead, one that went back to 18 when Jannero Pargo hit a 3-pointer moments later.

The Grizzlies then got consecutive 3-pointers from Wells, Earl Watson and Miller during a 12-2 run that cut it to 83-75 with 6:36 left.

Wells made two from the line and then a 3-pointer as Memphis got within five with 4:11 to go. Watson's free throw cut it to 86-82 with 3:45 left and then Miller sailed in for a layup knocking it to 86-84.

Chicago took a 51-42 halftime lead with a late 9-2 run that included two driving baskets by Andres Nocioni and Pargo's 3-pointer with 36 seconds left.

Notes

Memphis forward James Posey didn't travel with the team after suffering a right hip contusion and right shoulder sprain in the Grizzlies' previous game, a loss to New Orleans on Saturday.. .. Chicago rookie F Luol Deng sprained his right wrist in the first half. X-rays were negative but he did not play in the second half. ... Pau Gasol, who just came off the injured list eight days ago, scored eight points in 15 minutes and did not have a rebound for the first time this season.

14 MORE GAMES, BULLS: PLAYOFF TIME?

Chicago 100, Indiana 96

March 27, 2005

CHICAGO (AP) -- Eddy Curry was nearly perfect in leading the Chicago Bulls to their fifth straight victory.

Curry scored a season-high 27 points as the Bulls beat the Indiana Pacers 100-96 on Saturday night, to move to a season-high six games over .500 and close in on their first playoff berth since winning the 1998 championship. Chicago is in fifth place in the Eastern Conference with 14 games to play.

``Eddy kind of took control of those guys in the paint,'' said Chicago coach Scott Skiles. ``I thought Eddy was really bouncing around well tonight.''

Curry was unstoppable in the first half, scoring 22 points on 7-of-7 shooting from the field and 8-of-10 from the free throw line. He scored 14 of the team's first 19 points, capped off by a spin move and baseline dunk to make it 19-7 with 5:59 left.

Curry sat for the entire fourth quarter after getting hit on the side of his right knee at the end of the third.

``I think I took a knee from (Jeff) Foster (or Austin Croshere),'' Curry said. ``It's kind of swollen right now but we don't think there's any major damage there.''

Curry's career high is 31 points, which looked easily reachable.

``I wasn't even thinking about it,'' he said of his point total. ``Honestly, I was just trying to get a win and provide some post presence down there and my teammates did a great job of looking for me.''

The Bulls had a comfortable lead for most of the fourth quarter, but short-handed Indiana made it interesting at the end. Pacers' guard Fred Jones made a running jumper with 30 seconds left that cut the lead to 94-90. He was fouled on the play, but missed the free throw.

After a Bulls turnover, Stephen Jackson missed a 3-pointer and Ben Gordon hit 3-of-4 free throws to increased the lead to 97-90. Jackson then hit a 3-pointer with 8 seconds left to cut the lead to four, but Gordon then hit 2 more free throws. Gordon had 10 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter. It was an NBA-leading 20th time this season he's scored double-digits in the fourth quarter.

Jackson then hit another 3 to make it 99-96 with 4 seconds left. Luol Deng split a pair of free throws to ice it.

Jackson finished with a season-high 34 to lead the Pacers, who were seriously undermanned. Reggie Miller got ejected from the game with 3:08 left in the second quarter for arguing. Pacers coach Rick Carlisle got hit with a pair of technicals for arguing the call and was ejected as well.

``It's definitely hard,'' Jackson said. ``We're already without (Jamaal Tinsley), Ron (Artest) and (Jermaine O'Neal). When Reggie goes, that really hurts us, because he's our primary scorer right now.''

Chicago led 55-45 at the half but the Pacers quickly cut into the lead. Indiana started the third quarter on a 7-2 run and Jones' 3-pointer made it 57-54.

Curry then missed a pair of free throws but converted a 3-point play on the next possession. Croshere matched that with a 3-pointer, but Curry jammed home a rebound and Deng hit a 19-foot jumper to make it 64-57.

Croshere's dunk made it 66-61, but Gordon followed with a 3 to make it an 8-point game with 2:48 left in the third quarter.

Othella Harrington finished with 14 points and Deng added 13 as the Bulls' backups outscored the Pacers' reserves 56-27.

Notes

Miller's probable last game in Chicago ended early. It was his first ejection of the season and he finished with 8 points in 13 minutes. Carlisle's was his second ejection of the season. Miller's ejection shocked him and then he thought he only earned one technical for arguing. ``I was surprised which is part of the reason I reacted as I did,'' Carlisle said ... Bulls point guard Kirk Hinrich missed his third straight game with a left hamstring strain. Skiles said he should be ready for Monday's home game against Memphis and does not plan on placing him on the injured list.

BULLS GO UP TO THE 5TH SPOT IN THE EAST

Chicago 94, Boston 86

March 25, 2005

BOSTON (AP) -- Eddy Curry helped the Chicago Bulls move up in the Eastern Conference standings and give the Boston Celtics something to think about with the playoffs approaching.

Curry scored 16 points in 23 minutes, Tyson Chandler added 13 points and 10 rebounds and the Bulls closed out their fourth straight win with a 14-4 run, beating Boston 94-86 Friday night.

The Bulls moved a half-game ahead of Cleveland for the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race, and also moved within a game of Boston for home court advantage in a possible first-round playoff matchup. The
Celtics are 3 1/2 games ahead of Philadelphia for the Atlantic Division title and the No. 3 seed.

``This is a huge win for us,'' Chandler said. ``Anybody you feel you're going to face in the playoffs, you want to leave a statement. You want to leave something in the back of their heads.''

After the Celtics tied the game at 84, Ben Gordon hit a 3-pointer with 2:49 left to give Chicago an 87-84 lead.

Chris Duhon then followed with a pair of free throws and Chandler added a field goal to put the Bulls ahead 91-86 with 1:51 remaining.

Curry led the Bulls with six points and four rebounds in the final 8:34 after sitting on the bench in foul trouble for a 12-minute stretch. Curry's three-point play with 3:57 left gave the Bulls an 84-82 lead.

``Guys did a good job looking for me down the stretch,'' Curry said. ``We knew that at any moment, we could have taken the game at any point. And I think we came and changed the game at the right time.''

Pierce had a chance to pull Boston within two, but his 3-point attempt with 31 seconds left rimmed out and the

Bulls made three free throws to pull away.

Boston shot just 5-of-26 in the fourth quarter and was outscored 28-14.

``It was definitely a letdown by us, but maybe we learned a lesson tonight about what we're going to have to do to win ballgames,'' Pierce said. ``We have to play each possession on defense as if it were our last, and we didn't do that tonight.''

Following the game, Celtics coach Doc Rivers met with the team's medical staff to discuss Gary Payton's ailing back. Payton played 34 minutes and scored 13 points, but Rivers suggested that, at the very least, Boston might have to limit the 36-year-old point guard's minutes the rest of the season and hope his back will be in better shape come playoff time.

``We're just going to have to find out more about his back,'' Rivers said. ``But its becoming a concern. We don't know yet ... it's not anything great. I can just say that.''

The Celtics lost their second straight and fell to 11-3 since reacquiring Antoine Walker on Feb. 24. Walker and Paul Pierce had 18 points each for Boston.

With the win, Chicago evened its season series at two games apiece.

Notes

Eric Paitkowski started for the Bulls in place of Kirk Hinrich, who strained his left hamstring Monday night in
Chicago's 105-91 home win over Atlanta. ... The rule giving the team with the better record home court advantage in the playoffs regardless of seed was enacted before this season.

GINEBRA VS. PUREFOODS

PBA Gameday:
Brgy. Ginebra Kings vs. Purefoods TJ Hotdogs

Date:
March 30, 2005
Wednesday

Time:
5:00 PM
1st Game

Place:
Araneta Coliseum

Pending Starters:

Ginebra:

G- Aris Dimaunahan
G- Mark Caguioa
F- Sunday Salvacion
F- Romel Adducul
C- Eddie Elisma

Key Match Ups:

R. Adducul vs. K. Raymundo

S. Salvacion vs. J. Yap

Notes:

M. Caguioa - 25 ppg (2nd in the league among locals)

A RAPTOR ACCIDENTALLY MOTIVATED THE BULLS TO WIN THEIR THIRD STRAIGHT VICTORY

Chicago 94, Toronto 85

March 23, 2005

TORONTO (AP) -- Trying to pump up the Toronto Raptors, Jalen Rose ended up motivating his former teammates.

After arriving in Toronto and hearing Rose predicting victory, Eddy Curry scored 16 points and led the Chicago Bulls to their eighth straight win over the Raptors, 94-85 Wednesday night.

``It feels good to beat these guys, especially when you arrive in your hotel room last night and see Jalen Rose on TV guaranteeing a win,'' Curry said. ``That's even more incentive. At this point we just wished we could have won by a little bit more.''

Chicago veteran Antonio Davis, who was traded for Rose, said everyone knew about Rose's prediction.

``We mentioned it at the beginning and everybody kind of chuckled,'' Davis said. ``I understand what he's going through. We went through it last year. I think he was trying to motivate his team, and it motivated us.''

Rose scored 30 points for Toronto, which shot a season-low 32 percent.

Rose shrugged off the Bulls' postgame comments.

``They wouldn't have said that if they lost,'' Rose said. ``If they need me to say something to get them motivated to play, they'll be getting bounced in the first round.''

Rookie Andres Nocioni added 10 points and eight rebounds for the Bulls, who have won three straight overall.
The Bulls opened the second quarter with a 19-0 run and outscored Toronto 40-20 in the period for a 61-41 lead at the break. The 40 points were the most by Chicago in a quarter this season.

Chicago led by as many as 21 points, but Toronto got back in contention by taking advantage of seven turnovers in the fourth quarter. The Raptors used a 12-1 run to close within eight points, but Davis' three-point play pushed the Bulls advantage back to 91-80 with 3:56 left.

Tyson Chandler pumped his fist after giving the Bulls an 11-point lead with 2:12 left.

Chicago won despite missing point guard Kirk Hinrich, who has a strained left hamstring.

``I hate not playing, but it just wasn't getting better,'' Hinrich said. ``I'm going to try and play as soon as I can.''

Hinrich was the only Bulls player to start every game this season. Eric Piatkowski started in his place.

Toronto point guard Rafer Alston scored 15 points on 6-for-21 shooting, while Rose shot 8-for-22. Chris Bosh, slowed by foul trouble through most of the game, scored nine points on 3-for-10 shooting.

Notes

Toronto hasn't beaten Chicago since Dec. 6, 2002. ... Toronto's Rafael Araujo, the eighth pick in the draft, has lost his spot as the starting center. Toronto coach Sam Mitchell said Araujo and Loren Woods will share the starting job. Woods has added 15 pounds recently. ... Charles Oakley attended the game. Former general manager Glen Grunwald also attended.

WITH CURRY IN THE MIX, BULLS GROUND HAWKS

CHICAGO, March 21 (Ticker) -- If Eddy Curry's availability was a game-time decision, it was a good one to have him suit up. Curry scored 10 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter as the Chicago Bulls improved their playoff standing with a 105-91 victory over the hapless Atlanta Hawks.

The 22-year-old Curry, Chicago's leading scorer, has been bothered by a left hamstring strain which kept him out of the last three contests. His participation in this one was in question until tip-off approached. "I am just at a point right now where I can just play," Curry said. "I am just trying to go and help the team anyway I can."

Curry made his 6-11 presence felt in the final quarter, when the Bulls were able to pull away from the Hawks, who have lost 18 of their last 19 games. With the Bulls leading, 86-79, with 9:06 remaining, Curry scored eight points in a 10-1 burst.

The Hawks helped by not scoring from the floor for 5:45 until a layup by Tyronn Lue at the 3:51 mark. "My teamates make my job easy they just got me the ball and anytime they do that it leads to easy buckets," Curry said. "In the fourth quarter, we just couldn't get the lid off the bucket for a few minutes and they got away from us," Hawks rookie Josh Childress said. "All we can do is keep fighting."

Rookie Ben Gordon scored 17 points for Chicago (34-31), which moved within one-half game of Cleveland for fifth place in the Eastern Conference and one game ahead of seventh-place Indiana. "It was a good win. Right now, any win is a good win," Bulls coach Scott Skiles said. "We have put ourselves in a positon where wins mean something." "At this point you have to be aware of the position," Curry said. "We know we are a good enough team to take that fifth spot."

The Bulls also clinched their first season series victory over the Hawks since the 1997-98 season, the last time they reached the postseason. Kirk Hinrich collected 12 points and 10 assists in 31 minutes but sat out the entire fourth quarter when he tweaked his hamstring late in the third period.

Childress scored 17 points and Al Harrington added 15 for the Hawks. Both sat out the previous game - Harrington with a sore back and Childress with the flu. "Our young guys are trying to figure it out right now, and the losing is getting frustrating," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said. "They have to realize that losing is something you can never accept."