Bulls Rock Hawks, NBA Roundup

Bulls Rock Hawks

(Atlanta, GA) -- The free falling Hawks took another loss at the hands of the Bulls, 105-92, at Philipa Arena. Atlanta has dropped seven-of-eight to fall percentage points behind the Knicks for the final playoff spot in the East. D.J. Augustin put up 23 points and five assists off the bench in the victory.  Kirk Hinrich and Jimmy Butler each added 17 points for Chicago, which kept pace with the Raptors for the third-seed at 43-32. Paul Milsap scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the defeat. Jeff Teague chipped in 21 points and eight assists.

Wizards Rock Celtics

(Washington, D.C.) -- All five Wizards players hit double digits as they crushed the Celtics, 118-92, at the Verizon Center to clinch their first playoff berth since 2008. Marcin Gortat led the way with 22 points, eight rebounds and four assists. John Wall put together a double-double tallying 13 points and 10 assists, while Bradley Beal knocked down 7-of-8 shots on his way to 19 points. Washington has won three of four to move to 39-36. Jared Sullinger scored a game-high 25 points in the loss off the bench. Rajon Rondo added 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists for Boston, which has lost six in-a-row.

Cavaliers Crush Magic

(Orlando, FL) -- Kyrie Irving made his return to the lineup and scored 17 points with eight assists and six rebounds as the Cavaliers crushed the Magic, 119-98, at the Amway Center. Irving, who hit 7-of-8 shots, came back after missing the previous eight games with a biceps injury. Dion Waiters paced Cleveland with 26 points, while Tristan Thompson and Spencer Haws each added 20. The Cavs are two games back of the Hawks for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. Victor Oladipo had a team-high 16 points off the bench for Orlando. Maurice Harkless was the only Magic starter in double figures with 10.  Orlando is 21-54.

Pacers Clip Pistons

(Indianapolis, IN) -- Paul George found his stroke, dropping in 27 points with 13 rebounds and seven assists in the Pacers' 101-94 victory against the Pistons at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. George hit 9-of-19 shots and four threes. Indiana is percentage points behind the Heat for the top-seed in the East.  Josh Smith tallied 24 points, while Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond each put up double-doubles. Detroit has lost four of five.

Raptors Nip Rockets

(Toronto, Ontario) -- DeMar DeRozan dropped in 29 points with six rebounds to guide the Raptors to a 107-103 victory against the Rockets in Ontario. Greivis Vasquez added 15 points and eight assists for Toronto, which has won four of five. Terrence Ross chipped in with 14 points and nine rebounds in the win.  James Harden had 26 points and six rebounds for Houston, which has lost three straight. Chandler Parsons tallied 20 points with seven rebounds in the loss.  Jeremy Lin scored 16 points and dished out seven assists for the Rockets.

Knicks Dominate Nets

(New York, NY) -- Carmelo Anthony posted 23 points and 10 rebounds as the Knicks destroyed the rival Nets, 110-81, at Madison Square Garden. With the Knicks' third straight win, they pulled percentage points ahead of the Hawks for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. J.R. Smith contributed 24 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while Tim Hardaway Junior tallied 17 off the bench. Brooklyn shot 40-percent from the field and 8-of-26 from deep. Joe Johnson put up a team-high 16 points for the Nets, who fell 2 1/2 games behind the Raptors for first place in the Atlantic Division.

Bobcats Blast 76ers

(Philadelphia, PA) -- Al Jefferson tallied 25 points and 10 rebounds to carry the Bobcats by the 76ers 123-93 at the Wells Fargo Center. Gary Neal added 15 points off the bench for Charlotte, which has won two in-a-row. Chris Douglas-Roberts and Gerald Henderson both scored 14 points. Michael Carter-Williams scored 22 points with seven rebounds for the Sixers, who have lost two straight since snapping a 26-game slide. Henry Sims chipped in with 15 points and six boards in the loss.

Heat Blast Bucks

(Miami, FL) -- LeBron James recorded 17 points and eight assists as the Heat blasted the Bucks 96-77 at AmericanAirlines Arena. Chris Bosh added 15 points and Mario Chalmers chipped in with 14 as 11 different Miami players scored at least two points. The Heat have won four in-a-row and continue to lead Indiana by percentage points for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Ramon Sessions scored a game-high 19 points for Milwaukee, which has lost 11 of its last 12. Jeff Adrien posted 14 points and seven boards in the setback.

T'wolves Pummel Grizzlies

(Minneapolis, MN) -- Kevin Love compiled a triple-double with 24 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists to lead the Timberwolves to a 102-88 win against the Grizzlies at the Target Center. Kevin Martin added 21 points for Minnesota, which got back to .500 at 37-37. Marc Gasol posted 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists in the loss. Mike Conely shot 3-of-15 from the field and Zach Randolph missed 7-of-8 shots in the team's third loss in four games. Memphis still holds the eighth seed in the Western Conference. However, the Grizzlies are tied with seventh-place Dallas and ninth place Phoenix.

Spurs Sink Warriors

(San Antonio, TX) -- Tony Parker posted 18 points and eight assists to lead the Spurs to a 111-90 win over the Warriors at the AT&T Center. Tim Duncan dropped in 15 points with eight rebounds for San Antonio, which has won 19 straight games. Patty Mills and Manu Ginobili each scored 13 points off the bench in the win. Steph Curry tallied 11 points and 10 assists for Golden State, which has lost three of five. Marreese Speights had 22 points and nine rebounds off the bench in the loss.

Nuggets Roll Pelicans

(Denver, CO) -- Kenneth Faried posted a career-high 34 points to go with 13 rebounds to pace the Nuggets to a 137-107 win over the Pelicans from Denver. Aaron Brooks added 24 points off the bench for Denver, which snapped a four-game slide. Ty Lawson chipped in with 14 points and 12 assists in the win. Tyreke Evans totaled 27 points and eight rebounds for New Orleans, which has lost three straight. Anthony Morrow scored 17 points off the pine.

Clippers Rally Past Suns

(Phoenix, AZ) -- The Clippers outscored the Suns by 17 in the fourth quarter to pull out a 112-108 win at US Airways Center. Blake Griffin and Darren Collison scored 23 points apiece, while Chris Paul added 20 for LA, which has won four in-a-row and 17 of its last 19 overall. Matt Barnes netted 19 points and Jared Dudley donated 12 off the bench in the victory. Marcus Morris led seven players in double figures with 16 points for the Suns, who have lost two straight since a six-game winning streak.  Goran Dragic and Gerald Green both had 15 points in the setback.

Kings Down Lakers

(Sacramento, CA) -- Rudy Gay scored 31 points to lead the Kings past the Lakers 107-102 at the Sleep Train Arena. Rookie Ray McCallum added 27 points for Sacramento. DeMarcus Cousins recorded a double-double, scoring 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Kings, who picked up their first win over the Lakers this season. Jodie Meeks led the Los Angeles offense with 21 points on the night. Jordan Hill chipped in 18 points and 15 boards for the Lakers, who have lost four of their last five.

Wednesday, April 2 Scoreboard

Washington Wizards 118, Boston Celtics 92

Cleveland Cavaliers 119, Orlando Magic 98

Indiana Pacers 101, Detroit Pistons 94

Toronto Raptors 107, Houston Rockets 103

New York Knicks 110, Brooklyn Nets 81

Charlotte Bobcats 123, Philadelphia 76ers 93

Chicago Bulls 105, Atlanta Hawks 92

Miami Heat 96, Milwaukee Bucks 77

Minnesota Timberwolves 102, Memphis Grizzlies 88

San Antonio Spurs 111, Golden State Warriors 90

Denver Nuggets 137, New Orleans Pelicans 107

Los Angeles Clippers 112, Phoenix Suns 108

Sacramento Kings 107, Los Angeles Lakers 102

Thursday, April 3 Schedule (All Times Central)

NBA

7:00 p.m. - San Antonio Spurs at Oklahoma City Thunder

9:30 p.m. - Dallas Mavericks at Los Angeles Clippers