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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – The Philadelphia 76ers just wanted to stay
healthy. The Chicago Bulls just wanted a victory.
Elton Brand scored 31 points and Fred Hoiberg added 18 as the
Bulls used a late 10-0 run to beat Philadelphia's reserves 92-86 in
their regular season finale Wednesday night.
The Sixers played without Allen Iverson, the NBA's leading
scorer, and Dikembe Mutombo, the league's top rebounder. Both were
placed on the injured list to rest for the playoffs.
"Obviously we played a team who was getting ready for the
playoffs, but it was still a good win," Bulls coach Tim Floyd
said. "It's a nice way to end the season. We'll keep things in
perspective, but winning our last three road games helps the
confidence."
Chicago finished another dismal season at 15-67, worst record in
the NBA. Philadelphia, which clinched first place in the Eastern
Conference last week, finished at 56-26, its best record since
winning 58 games in 1984-85.
"We just wanted to go out, execute and make sure nobody got
hurt," Sixers forward George Lynch said.
Todd MacCulloch scored a career-high 21 points and Lynch added
14 for the Sixers, who meet the Indiana Pacers in the first round
of the playoffs on Saturday.
"I tried to play everybody," Sixers coach Larry Brown said.
"We wanted to give everybody a chance and I didn't want to change
the lineup. I wanted to get some people ready. I wasn't going to
play Allen, Dikembe or Tyrone (Hill)."
Philadelphia overcame a 12-point, third-quarter deficit by
outscoring the Bulls 12-4 to end the quarter. The Sixers then
scored nine straight to open the fourth, including a 3-pointer by
Rodney Buford that made it 70-69.
But Hoiberg nailed a 3-pointer to tie it at 80 with 4:40 left,
and the Bulls scored 10 in a row after a jumper by Buford and a
free throw by Kevin Ollie.
Marcus Fizer's jumper gave Chicago the lead for good, 84-83,
with 1:38 left. Brand made it 86-83 with a driving layup. After
Buford missed a 3-pointer, Brand hit two free throws and the Bulls
iced it at the foul line.
"The fourth quarter has been a problem for us all year," Brand
said. "To finish it off tonight like we did was real important."
Chicago ended the season with just their second two-game winning
streak.
"We were saying, 'Let's just have fun,"' Bulls center Brad
Miller said. "Forget the records. Philly didn't play their bug
guys and the few that played didn't play a lot of minutes, but it
doesn't matter to us because we need every win for our confidence
going into the summer."
Game notes
Brown fell one victory shy of his best winning percentage
in his 18 years as an NBA coach. Brown went 56-26 with San Antonio
Spurs in 1989-90. His best season as a coach was 1974-75 when he
was 65-19 with the Denver in the ABA. ... In a skit shown on the
arena's video screen during a timeout in the third period, Iverson
appeared on ABC's "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" and correctly
answered Regis Philbin's question, asking which team won the
Atlantic Division for the first time in more than a decade. ...
Jumaine Jones, coming off a career-best 26-point performance, had
11 points and eight rebounds for the Sixers. ... The loss cost
Philadelphia home-court advantage against the Lakers should both
teams reach the finals.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Chicago Clubhouse
Philadelphia Clubhouse
RECAPS
Charlotte 97
Boston 92
Chicago 92
Philadelphia 86
Toronto 98
Washington 92
Indiana 105
Cleveland 101
New York 94
Detroit 88
Miami 103
Orlando 91
Dallas 120
Minnesota 100
Denver 110
Sacramento 100
Seattle 105
San Antonio 67
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Chicago's Dalibor Bagaric gets the steal and takes it in for the dunk.
avi: 575 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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