Chicago Bulls' forward Pau Gasol (No. 16) battles with Toronto Raptors' guard DeMar DeRozan (No. 10) for a rebound with Chicago Bulls' guard Jimmy Butler (L) and Toronto Raptors' forward Amir Johnson (No. 15) at the Air Canada Centre Wednesday. — Reuters TORONTO — The Chicago Bulls strengthened their grip on the NBA's Eastern Conference third seed Wednesday with a 116-103 come-from-behind triumph over Toronto, who nevertheless secured their own playoff berth. Jimmy Butler, making his second start since missing 11 games with an elbow injury, had 23 points, Pau Gasol scored 18 and the Bulls rallied in the fourth quarter, sweeping the season series between the two teams. Chicago, which clinched a playoff berth for the seventh consecutive year with Monday's win over Charlotte, outscored Toronto 39-21 in the fourth quarter. They took their first lead since the opening minutes of the game on Nikola Mirotic's layup with 5:47 remaining, which followed Kirk Hinrich's basket from the right corner. The shots were part of a 25-8 run over the final seven minutes of the game. “The ball moved really well with quick decisions,” said Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau. “We had a lot of guys step up.” Chicago's French big man Joakim Noah said the Bulls believe they have the “deepest team in the East.” “We have a lot of offensive weapons,” Noah said. “We shot 60 percent (from the floor) in a big game. That's pretty impressive.” Tony Snell scored nine of his 17 points in the fourth period for Chicago, which stretched its lead over the Raptors for its place in the East to 1-1/2 games. The Raptors, who have now dropped 13 of their last 18, could have clinched the Atlantic Division with a win and a Boston loss to Miami. They still locked up a playoff berth when the Celtics fell to the Heat 93-86 in Boston. Goran Dragic had 22 points, seven assists and five rebounds for the Heat, who moved two games in front of the Celtics for the seventh seed in the East. The Celtics, meanwhile, are trying to hold off the Indiana Pacers, Brooklyn Nets and Charlotte Hornets for the eighth and final post-season spot. Indiana boosted their playoff bid with a 103-101 victory over the Wizards in Washington. George Hill scored 12 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter and made the go-ahead layup with 2.7 seconds remaining to lift the Pacers. Hill added nine assists and seven rebounds for Indiana, who ended a six-game skid. The Nets did themselves some good with a 91-88 victory over the Hornets in Charlotte. Brook Lopez scored 34 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter, and pulled down 10 rebounds for the Nets, who are level with Charlotte with a 30-40 record and still in with a playoff chance. The Cleveland Cavaliers thrashed the Memphis Grizzlies 111-89 behind a game-high 24 points from Kyrie Irving. Kevin Love had a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds and LeBron James had 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists as the Cavaliers (47-26) blew the game open with a 22-4 run in the third quarter en route to their fourth consecutive victory. Paul Millsap had 25 points and 11 rebounds and the Atlanta Hawks overturned a seven-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the Orlando Magic 95-83. Damian Lillard scored 23 points and LaMarcus Aldridge added 19 to lift the Portland Trail Blazers to a 92-89 comeback victory over the Utah Jazz. James Harden scored 25 points and dished out 10 assists to lift the Houston Rockets to a 95-93 victory over the slumping New Orleans Pelicans. The San Antonio Spurs had their best point production of the season and largest margin of victory with a 130-91 thumping of the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Sacramento Kings won their fourth game in a row and dented the playoff hopes of Phoenix with a 108-99 road win over the Suns. Two free throws by Jordan Clarkson with 0.3 seconds remaining in overtime lifted the Los Angeles Lakers to a 101-99 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Rookie Robert Covington tied a career-high with 25 points, Nerlens Noel had 14 points and 15 rebounds and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Denver Nuggets 99-85. — Agencies
