The banged-up Chicago Bulls defeated the depleted Toronto Raptors 113-106 on Saturday, strengthening their hold on top spot in the NBA’s Eastern Conference.
Derrick Rose had 36 points and 10 assists for the Bulls, who won for the 15th time in 17 games.
Chicago lead Miami by three games and Boston by three-and-a-half games atop the Eastern Conference.
Photo: Reuters
The Bulls are also within one game of slumping San Antonio for the NBA’s best record.
The Bulls were without Joakim Noah for the third straight game as he rested a sprained right ankle.
With an eye on the postseason, the Bulls are taking a careful approach with Noah, who is averaging 12.1 points and 11 rebounds.
“He’s almost there,” coach Tom Thibodeau said of Noah. “We’re going to wait one more day. He’s good straight ahead and not quite there laterally yet.”
Rose, who hurt his left ankle in Friday’s victory at Detroit, said before the game he was feeling fine.
“Right now, it’s good,” said Rose, who certainly did not seem hobbled.
Carlos Boozer added 18 points and 10 rebounds despite early foul trouble. Luol Deng scored 17 points, while Taj Gibson had 15 points and nine rebounds for the Bulls, who led by as many as 13 points in the first half.
The Raptors were contending with injury problems of their own, with leading scorer Andrea Bargnani and guard Jose Calderon both sidelined.
Jerryd Bayless and DeMar DeRozan each scored 26 points for the Raptors. Leandro Barbosa added 18 points, while Ed Davis had 17 points and 11 rebounds filling in for Bargnani.
BUCKS 93, 76ERS 87, OT
In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Brandon Jennings scored nine of his 13 points in overtime for Milwaukee after missing a three-pointer at the regulation buzzer.
The Bucks kept their faint playoff hopes alive and snapped Philadelphia’s three-game winning streak. Milwaukee are three-and-a-half games behind Indiana for eighth place in the Eastern Conference with six games left.
Elton Brand had 20 points and 12 rebounds for Philadelphia. The 76ers wrapped up a playoff spot on Friday night with a victory over New Jersey.
WARRIORS 99, MAVERICKS 92
In Oakland, California, Monta Ellis had 32 points, while David Lee added 16 as Golden State beat Dallas to deliver a big blow to the Mavericks’ chances of moving up to second in the Western Conference.
Ellis shook off the pain in his strained right ankle to score 18 points in a dominant third quarter that helped the Warriors pull away. Golden State avoided a four-game sweep against Dallas this season.
Shawn Marion had 21 points, while Jason Terry added 17 in Dallas’ second straight loss.
In Saturday’s other action, it was:
‧ Grizzlies 106, T-Wolves 89
‧ Clippers 98, Thunder 92
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