The Chicago Bulls beat a determined Miami Heat 106-102 on Wednesday without the help of Derrick Rose, stretching their Eastern Conference lead.
“This was a big game. I’m not going to lie,” said Chicago’s British forward Luol Deng, who returned from two games on the sidelines after injuring a wrist. “Whatever it takes to win, that’s what we do, and we’ve been doing that all year.”
With Rose sidelined, John Lucas personified their dogged spirit, scoring a team-high 24 points off the bench that included a career-best three three-pointers.
Photo: Reuters
Lucas’ performance also included an impressive jump shot over Le-Bron James with a little more than four minutes remaining.
His form helped Chicago survive an onslaught by the Heat, with 35 points from James and 36 from Dwayne Wade. The rest of the Heat contributed just 28 points, with Chris Bosh scoring 12 on three-of-15 shooting.
Miami, who at one point trailed by 17 points, cut the deficit to two with six seconds remaining thanks to two three-pointers by James Jones, but the Bulls’ Kyle Korver and Lucas combined to make six of six from the free-throw line to seal the victory in the final 30 seconds.
Chicago improved to a league-leading 36-9, while the Heat fell to 31-11.
However, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau was quick to recall that though his side swept the regular-season series against the Heat last season, it was Miami who triumphed in the Eastern Conference finals series between the two.
“We’re chasing them,” Thibodeau said. “They’re the Eastern Conference champions.”
LAKERS 107, HORNETS 101, OT
In New Orleans, Kobe Bryant scored 33 points as the Los Angeles Lakers won their fourth straight game and their second straight in overtime.
For the second night in a row, the Lakers climbed out of a double-digit hole in the second half to force an extra period. On Tuesday night, they came back from 17 down to win at Memphis in double-overtime. The Hornets also led by as many as 17 late in the second quarter and 15 in the second half.
Andrew Bynum added 25 points and Pau Gasol 18 for Los Angeles.
Jarrett Jack scored 30 for New Orleans.
SPURS 122, MAGIC 111
In San Antonio, Texas, Dwight Howard had 22 points and 12 rebounds while losing what could be his last game with Orlando.
Howard, who said before the game he would not surrender his right to become a free agent this summer, had 22 points and 12 rebounds on the eve of the NBA trade deadline.
Tony Parker had 31 points and 12 assists, while Tim Duncan had 21 points and 13 rebounds as the Spurs closed a seven-game homestand by hosting the NBA’s biggest drama.
PACERS 111, 76ERS 94
In Indianapolis, Danny Granger scored 20 points as Indiana shot a season-high 57 percent from the field to win their second straight.
David West scored 18 points, George Hill had 17, and Roy Hibbert added 14 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three blocks for the Pacers, who outrebounded the 76ers 37-26.
Evan Turner scored 21 points, Jrue Holiday had 17, Elton Brand added 16, and Andre Iguodala had 10 points and nine assists for the 76ers.
NETS 98, RAPTORS 84
In Newark, New Jersey, Kris Humphries had 16 points and a career-high 21 rebounds to lead New Jersey past Toronto.
Former D-League star Gerald Green tied his season high by scoring 20 of his 26 points in the second half as the Nets snapped a two-game losing streak. Anthony Morrow added 15 points for New Jersey, who shot 48 percent from the field.
James Johnson and Jerryd Bayless had 16 points apiece for Toronto, who were limited to 38 second-half points, including 15 in the third quarter when the Nets took the lead.
ROCKETS 107, BOBCATS 87
In Houston, Texas, Luis Scola scored 23 points, while Goran Dragic had 14 points and 10 assists as Houston routed league-worst Charlotte.
Samuel Dalembert added 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Jordan Hill scored 14 and grabbed eight rebounds for the Rockets, who have won two in a row after dropping six of their previous seven games.
Derrick Brown scored 15 to lead the Bobcats, who have lost 20 of 23 road games this season.
BUCKS 115, CAVALIERS 105
In Milwaukee, Drew Gooden had 15 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists for his second career triple-double to lead Milwaukee over Cleveland.
Gooden completed the triple-double with a rebound near the end of the third quarter. Gooden also had a triple-double against the Cavaliers last April, marking the last time the Bucks had a player who accomplished the feat.
Ersan Ilyasova had 22 points before fouling out for the Bucks, who have won four straight.
Kyrie Irving had 28 points for the Cavaliers, who lost their second in a row.
PISTONS 124, KINGS 112
In Sacramento, California, Rodney Stuckey scored 35 points and Greg Monroe had 32 for Detroit, who used a huge third-quarter effort to pull away from Sacramento.
Stuckey led the Pistons’ 40-23 effort in the third quarter, connecting on four three-pointers and scoring 19 points as the Pistons built their lead to 97-81 entering the fourth.
Detroit made 15 of 20 shots for their highest points total in a quarter this season, while the Pistons never let the lead get below eight points in the fourth.
Tyreke Evans scored 23 points for the Kings, but left the game and did not return after a hard fall in the fourth quarter. Jason Thompson had 21 points and 15 rebounds for the Kings, losers of three straight games.
CELTICS 105, WARRIORS 103
In Oakland, California, Kevin Garnett scored 12 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter, including a tiebreaking jumper with 5.1 seconds left that led Boston over Golden State.
Brandon Bass added a season-high 22 points, Paul Pierce and Mickael Pietrus each chipped in 15, while Rajon Rondo dished out 14 assists for the Celtics.
Rookie Klay Thompson led the Warriors with a season-high 26 points, David Lee added 22, while Nate Robinson had 20 points and 11 assists.
CLIPPERS 96, HAWKS 82
In Los Angeles, Mo Williams scored 25 points and fellow reserve Eric Bledsoe added 14 on a relatively quiet night by Blake Griffin and Chris Paul, leading the Los Angeles Clippers over Atlanta. The victory kept the Clippers within two games of the Lakers in the race for the Pacific Division lead.
Griffin had 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Paul contributed 13 points and nine assists.
Joe Johnson led the Hawks with 19 points and Josh Smith added 18.
SUNS 120, JAZZ 111
In Phoenix, Arizona, Channing Frye scored 26 points and Marcin Gortat had 25 as Phoenix overcame a 13-point deficit to beat Utah.
Jared Dudley added 21 points, while Steve Nash finished with 12 points and 16 assists for Phoenix. The Suns have won six of their past seven at home and have trailed by double digits in all six wins.
Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap each scored 18 points for the Jazz, who have lost six straight against Phoenix.
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