Hinrich's Wizardry Leads Bulls Over Magic


CHICAGO - Kirk Hinrich scored 20 points and tied a career-high with 14 assists to lead the Chicago Bulls to an 85-76 victory over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night.



The third-year pro had 14 assists for the third time in his career.

Luol Deng tied his season-high with 21 points, and Michael Sweetney scored 12 for the Bulls in their first home game since Nov. 12. It was Chicago's fourth straight victory.

Hedo Turkoglu scored 20, and Dwight Howard added 17 points and 19 rebounds for Orlando, which saw its four-game winning streak end.

Jameer Nelson had 13 points, but Steve Francis was just 2-of-9 and finished with nine points. He suffered a cut above his right eyebrow after being fouled with 6:33 left in the game, but stayed in.

The Bulls outscored Orlando 13-4 over the final four minutes of the third quarter. And two free throws by Ben Gordon and a 3-pointer by Deng made it 73-60 a minute into the fourth.

After trailing by 11 midway through the second quarter, the Bulls whittled the deficit down to one — 42-41 — at halftime.

Notes:@ F Tim Thomas apparently will not play again for the Chicago Bulls. The Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times reported in Tuesday's editions the sides agreed to split, with the Bulls attempting to honor Thomas' trade request. Thomas, acquired with Michael Sweetney in the trade that sent Eddy Curry and Antonio Davis to the New York Knicks, will continue to collect his $14 million salary. He is averaging 4.3 points, 1.3 rebounds and 10.7 minutes in three appearances, and had made it clear he was not happy in a limited role. ... Tuesday's game was the first of four in a five-day stretch for the Bulls. ... Howard's 19 rebounds were one shy of his season-high.