Ben Gordon scored 25 points and Kirk Hinrich had 17 in the Chicago Bulls' 100-76 victory over the Orlando Magic on Thursday.
Luol Deng added 15 points and a season-high 14 rebounds for the Bulls, who bounced back from their worst loss of the season, a 103-70 defeat at Miami a night earlier.
The Bulls used a 14-0 run in the middle of the second quarter to seize control of a game they dominated from start to finish. Tyrus Thomas started the run with a dunk, Hinrich scored five straight points, including a 3-pointer, and Gordon capped it with a 3 that put Chicago up 44-23. Gordon and Hinrich were a combined 7-or-9 on 3-pointers.
PHOTO: AP
Dwight Howard led the Magic with 17 points and 14 rebounds, but was 5-for-14 from the free throw line. Jameer Nelson had 13 points and Trevor Ariza had 10.
Hinrich, who had started slowly in recent games, had 10 points in the first quarter to help Chicago jump out to a 26-17 advantage. The Bulls' point guard hits three of five shots, including a pair of 3-pointers.
Howard had 21 and 27 points in Orlando's first two games with Chicago, but struggled when the Bulls opted to foul the Magic center nearly every time he got in the lane. It paid off when he went 2-for-8 from the line in the first period and never got in the flow of the game.
Spurs 100, Kings 93
At Sacramento, California, Manu Ginobili scored 31 points, including five 3-pointers, to help San Antonio over Sacramento for its 11th straight win.
Ginobili scored 11 of San Antonio's first 15 points in the fourth quarter, including three 3-pointers. He finished with 16 points in the period to hold off the Kings, who led several times in the fourth, but had their four-game win streak snapped.
Tony Parker scored 15 points and Tim Duncan had 16 points and 13 rebounds as the Spurs concluded a successful four-game road trip.
Parker put the Spurs ahead for good on a driving layup with 2:50 remaining, igniting a 9-0 run. On the next possession, Parker flipped in an off-balance, high-arcing shot after being fouled by Corliss Williamson, putting the Spurs ahead 89-86.
Kevin Martin went scoreless in the game's first 17 minutes, but finished with 26 points and had a career-high 12 rebounds for Sacramento. Williamson had 21 points for the Kings, who have won eight of 10 at home.
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