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Bulls top Raptors, close in on top seed

Apr 3, 2011 - 3:06 AM Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Derrick Rose scored 36 points and dished out 10 assists, and the Bulls solidified their hold atop the Eastern Conference with a 113-106 win over the Toronto Raptors.

Chicago moved three games clear of Miami for first in the conference. The Bulls, winners of three straight and seven of eight, have just six games left. The next two are at home - against Phoenix and Boston.

Carlos Boozer tallied 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulls, who were without forward Joakim Noah for a third straight game. He's been sidelined due to a sprained right ankle. Luol Deng added 17 points.

DeMar DeRozan and Jerryd Bayless each had 26 points for Toronto, which lost its sixth in a row.

DeRozan's layup had the visitors within 102-98 with 2:30 left, but Rose then created an opportunity by dribbling into the lane before finding Kyle Korver for a three-pointer from the right corner.

The two connected a short time later, but in an unconventional way. Rose lost the ball as the shot clock was about to expire, but in a flash got it to Korver for a right baseline shot with 62 seconds left.

That expanded the lead to 107-100 and the Bulls held on from there, thanks in part to a 9-of-9 performance from the foul line in the last quarter. They were 26-of-28 for the game.

The Bulls were up 25-19 after one quarter and led throughout the second before going to the locker room with a 53-43 advantage.

The Raptors finally came to life in the third, a period that saw Bayless scored 14 points. DeRozan's three-point play tied it at 74, but Chicago scored the next seven, capped by a Deng three. It was 83-75 going to the fourth.

Game Notes

Raptors guard Jose Calderon sat out with a strained left hamstring...Toronto forward James Johnson made his first return to the United Center since being acquired on February 22 from Chicago in exchange for a 2011 first-round pick Johnson, who was selected 16th overall by the Bulls in the 2009 NBA Draft, had seven points...Ed Davis finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds in the loss, while teammate Leandro Barbosa scored 18...Taj Gibson scored 15 to go with nine assists for Chicago.