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Gooden had his best game since the Bulls acquired him and Larry Hughes from Cleveland in the three-team trade that sent Ben Wallace to the Cavaliers. He was a force inside, hitting 10 of 15 shots, blocking three and grabbing 14 rebounds.
Kirk Hinrich added 19 points, 12 assists and a career-high four blocks, while Andres Nocioni scored 20. Ben Gordon chipped in 16 points for Chicago, which had dropped four of five.
The Bulls scored 13 straight to turn a nine-point advantage into a 54-32 lead late in the second quarter. And this time, they held on, after blowing a 20-point advantage in a loss to Washington in their previous home game.
Kyle Lowry scored 24 for Memphis, which is on its longest losing streak since an 0-13 start in 2002-03 and has dropped 15 of 16. Rudy Gay and Darko Milicic added 21 apiece.
A game against the team with the NBA's third-worst record was just what the Bulls needed.
The Grizzlies were within four early in the second quarter, and it was 41-32 with five minutes left in the period before the Bulls scored 13 straight. Hinrich's basket started the run, and his breakaway layup made it 51-32. Deng then converted a three-point play to make it 55-32 with 1:09 left. It was 54-36 at the half and, unlike the Washington game, there was no collapse. There was some tension, though.
A 69-39 lead just over five minutes into the third dwindled to 13 with 2:17 left. After a timeout, Andres Nocioni and Ben Gordon hit jumpers to make it 79-62. The Grizzlies were back within 13
-- 83-70 -- after Kyle Lowry started the fourth with a 3-pointer, and they got within 11 with about 3:30 left. But Chicago hung on.
Notes: The Grizzlies hope Mike Miller, who missed his seventh game because of a sore back, will return Wednesday against New Jersey. ... Chicago's Thabo Sefolosha missed his third game with a strained left groin.
[Associated Press; By ANDREW SELIGMAN]
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
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