Raptors and Nets also win as race for the third seed in East goes on.
There were six games on the NBA schedule on Saturday night, with the Chicago Bulls securing a rout of the Washington Wizards to keep the third seed race alive.
D.J. Augustin provided his usual spark off the bench to add 25 points while Joakim Noah had 21 points and 12 rebounds to ensure that the Bulls stay locked with the Toronto Raptors in third place.
Having dominated from the start, Chicago appeared in no mood to see their winning streak come to an end, and having avenged their two losses from earlier this season they will have been pleased to get the edge over their rivals should they meet again in the post-season.
“We lost to these guys at home. We lost to them here. It was just getting this win tonight,” Augustin said. “We’re not looking forward to the playoffs just yet, but we wanted to come out tonight and do it for ourselves.”
John Wall had 20 points while Marcin Gortat added 19 for the hosts, but it wasn’t enough as they fell to defeat although they do remain in sixth spot.
As mentioned above, as the Bulls continue to win so do the Raptors, with DeMar DeRozan ensuring that they recovered against the Milwaukee Bucks to keep hold of third spot.
The Toronto guard scored 15 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter to ensure that his team remain tied with Chicago, and with just five games to go they remain in front due to the tie-breaker of the divisional standings.
Another team which hasn’t quite given up hope of that third seed is the Brooklyn Nets, as their win over the Philadelphia 76ers kept them within two-and-a-half games.
Deron Williams had 19 points and nine assists, while Kevin Garnett provided his team with a boost by making his return in his first game in more than five weeks.
The 37-year-old missed 19 straight games since the end of February, but insisted that he feels fresh as the Nets look forward to having his experience and know-how around this time of the year.
NBA Results:
Minnesota Timberwolves 92-100 Orlando Magic
Chicago Bulls 96-78 Washington Wizards
Charlotte Bobcats 96-94 Cleveland Cavaliers
Boston Celtics 111-115 Detroit Pistons
Brooklyn Nets 105-101 Philadelphia 76ers
Toronto Raptors 102-98 Milwaukee Bucks
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