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By BRETT HUSTON

Posted Mar 22 2011 12:24AM Derrick Rose took the blame for the Chicago Bulls coughing up a 19-point lead in their last trip to Atlanta, guaranteeing such a collapse wouldn't happen again. So far, he's made good on his promise. Coming off a 40-point rout that was their ninth win in 10 games since leaving Philips Arena, Rose and the visiting Bulls try to stay hot Tuesday night against the middling Hawks. Chicago (50-19) won seven of eight to finish February and pull within two games of Eastern Conference-leading Boston, and on March 2 in Atlanta it appeared to have a chance to get a bit closer. The Bulls scored the game's first 14 points and led the Hawks (40-30) by 19 late in the second quarter, but the second half belonged to the home team. Al Horford scored 22 of his career high-tying 31 points after halftime as Atlanta took advantage of six post-intermission turnovers from Rose to rally for an 83-80 win. "I made some careless passes," said Rose, who also missed 16 of 21 field-goal attempts. "The game was definitely on me. ... But I guarantee it won't happen again." "Careless. Careless. We let one escape for real." The Bulls have learned from the loss. They responded by winning their next eight games - including a 94-76 home victory against Atlanta on March 11 in which Rose scored 34 - before Friday's 115-108 overtime loss at Indiana. Rose tied a career high with 42 against the Pacers and nearly helped Chicago rally from 20 down, but coach Tom Thibodeau wasn't pleased after what he called "a step backwards." Once again, the Bulls got the message. Chicago shot 61.3 percent Monday and scored its most points in nearly three years, throttling Sacramento 132-92 to stay tied with the Celtics atop the East. "It's fun," Rose said after the Bulls picked up their 50th win for the first time since 1997-98. "I can't complain about anything right now. We're winning games, playing good basketball and the city is going crazy." While Chicago is fighting for the conference's No. 1 seed, the Hawks are almost certainly going to finish fifth - and lately they've looked like a team with little for which to play. Atlanta lost four in a row after its comeback against the Bulls - including a dismal 26-point second half while being blown out in the United Center - and then followed consecutive wins with two more ugly losses. A 106-85 defeat at Miami on Friday prompted Horford to call a players-only meeting, and his teammates seemed to take his message to heart Sunday. The Hawks shot 52.9 percent and put six players in double figures in a 104-96 win over Detroit. "We just wanted to keep everybody on the same track so we could stay focused with the playoffs coming up," said Horford, who had a team-high 18 points. "I think it went well." Horford figures to have his hands full underneath against Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer, who scored 16 points Tuesday in his return after missing five games with a sprained ankle. Boozer missed the March 11 victory against Atlanta, but that didn't stop the Bulls from winning the rebounding battle, 50-28. Whichever team can hold its own on the boards should prevail Tuesday. Chicago is 41-13 when it outrebounds its opponent, while Atlanta is 28-6.

Copyright 2011 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited Copyright 2011 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Rose has 30, Bulls crush Hawks, 114-81

By CHARLES ODUM

Posted Mar 22 2011 11:53PM ATLANTA (AP) Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls turned a heartbreaking loss in Atlanta into more motivation for their surge to the top of the Eastern Conference. Rose had 30 points and 10 assists, helping the Bulls move back in the East's top spot with a runaway 114-81 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night. The Bulls began the night tied with idle Boston for the conference's best record. Chicago led by 19 points in the second quarter of their 83-80 loss in Atlanta on March 2. Since then, the Bulls have won 10 of 11, including two lopsided wins over Atlanta. Rose said the Bulls made sure there would be no repeat of the loss to the Hawks earlier this month. "Right when we got the lead we were just telling each other it's not going to happen again," Rose said. "After that game, we all felt bad. It hurts. We don't want that feeling anymore." Rose closed the first half with three 3-pointers, including one just before the half ended. The Bulls led 72-43 at the break after outscoring the Hawks 41-22 in the second period. Chicago made 31 of 42 shots (73.8 percent) in the half and finished at 54.4 percent. Fans chanted "MVP! MVP!" during Rose's spree of 3-pointers. He went 6 for 8 from long range for the game. The Bulls are making it more difficult for coach Tom Thibodeau to find fault in their wins. Thibodeau said he wasn't satisfied with Chicago's defense in its 132-92 home victory over Sacramento on Monday night. One night later, the Bulls tightened their defense as Rose and Luol Deng led a devastating first-half offensive performance. Chicago's starters sat out the final period after the Bulls set season highs with 41 points in the second period and 72 points in the first half. Deng finished with 27 points. "We have a lot of confidence," Deng said. "When our mindset is right on defense, we seem to work harder on offense. When we're not as focused on defense, it kind of leads to our offense. We just go through the motions. So it always starts with defense." Added Deng: "We're trying to do great things in the playoffs." Still, Thibodeau took a look at the Hawks' 45.3 field-goal percentage and said there is room to improve. "Uh, yeah," Thibodeau said. "They shot too high of a percentage. So, defensively there's a lot of things we can clean up. But I like the fact that we got the big lead, and we played tough with the lead." The Hawks were denied an opportunity to clinch a playoff spot and absorbed their first home loss to Chicago in four years. Jeff Teague scored 17 of his 20 points in the fourth for Atlanta, which trailed 98-60 after three and also decided to rest its starters in the final period. Josh Smith and Al Horford had 14 points apiece, but Horford departed in the third with a strained hamstring. Hawks coach Larry Drew said he expects Horford will be able to play Wednesday at Philadelphia. The Hawks, who lost 100-59 to New Orleans at home on Jan. 21, came close to a second 40-point home loss. Chicago's big lead was 47 points. "This is starting to get embarrassing," Smith said, adding the Hawks showed "no resistance" in their seventh loss in the last 10 games. "We didn't help each other, and when you don't help each other it gets contagious," Smith said. The Bulls were almost perfect in pulling away from the Hawks in the first half. With 4:50 remaining in the second quarter, Drew called a timeout after Kyle Korver's 3-pointer gave the Bulls a 57-35 lead. Atlanta had made 52 percent of its shots from the field and still trailed by 22 because the Bulls were shooting at a season-best pace. Chicago's best shooting game of the season came on Dec. 21, when they shot 64.5 percent from the field in a home win over Philadelphia. Against the Hawks, the Bulls were even better - for a half. The Bulls continued to stretch the lead in the second half. Rose had 10 points in the third quarter while earning the early exit. The Hawks' frustrations showed when backup center Zaza Pachulia and Drew exchanged sharp words on the bench late in the game. The 7-foot Pachulia left after missing a long jumper. "I told him I didn't want him taking that shot," Drew said. "He shoots an 18-foot shot. That's not his shot. ... I told him 'You don't take that shot.' That was the end of that." NOTES: Chicago ended a six-game losing streak in Atlanta, winning at Philips Arena for first time since April 1, 2007. ... The Bulls made 17 of 21 shots while scoring a season-high 41 points in the second - the most Hawks have allowed in any period this season. The Bulls' 72 first-half points also are the most Atlanta has allowed in a half this season. ... Chicago outscored Atlanta 48-18 in the paint.

Copyright 2011 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited Copyright 2011 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited