Gordon, Bulls dominate Wizards

It was the worst loss of the season for the Wizards and a season-low in points.

Luol Deng added 16 points and seven rebounds for the Bulls, who won their third straight game and moved one-half game ahead of idle Cleveland in the race for the second-seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Ben Wallace chipped in with nine points and 10 rebounds.

"We are very sharp again," said Bulls coach Scott Skiles. "The guys were in tune with the game plan and we had good ball movement. We were ready to play."

DeShawn Stevenson finished with 13 points for the reeling Wizards, who have dropped seven of eight games but remain in the sixth spot of the Eastern Conference playoff race. Jarvis Hayes and Etan Thomas both contributed 11 points for Washington.

"We have been very competitive for awhile," said Washington coach Eddie Jordan. "We have two more games to play and I wouldn’t be surprised if we bounced back at home."

The Bulls dominated from the opening tip. Deng’s free throw capped a 12-0 run to open the contest and Chicago kept pulling away from there.

A pair of Tyrus Thomas freebies put the Bulls on top 23-5 with just under four minutes to go in the opening frame. The Wizards recovered a bit from there but still trailed 28-14 after the opening 12 minutes.

Chris Duhon’s driving layup late in the second quarter capped the scoring in the half with Chicago owning a commanding 22-point advantage, 49-27.

Gordon then concluded the third quarter with a pair from the line to give the Bulls a more than comfortable 27-point cushion, 77-50, heading to the final frame.

The Wizards couldn’t even muster a run in extended garbage time. Malik Allen’s turnaround jumper gave Chicago its first 30-point lead, 87-56, with 8:11 left in the game.

The Bulls coasted to the finish line from there.

Game Notes

This is the sixth time the Bulls have won by 30-points or more this season... Chicago finished 3-1 against the Wizards this season, and has won six of the last eight contests in the series...The Wizards are 26-14 at home this season.