The Bulls spent much of the second half Friday night trying to swim upstream. And they almost got there, trimming the 76ers` 19-point lead to 4. But in the end, the Bulls couldn`t withstand one las… ...

The 76ers, with former Piston bad boy Rick Mahorn, are an awful lot like the Pistons, whom the Bulls have not been able to defeat with any regularity. ”Not as physical,” insisted Jackson.

The Bulls held the Philadelphia 76ers to 36 points in the second half in a 117-99 win Wednesday night for a 4-1 victory in the best-of-seven series.

Jimmy Butler had 19 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists and helped give Chicago's playoff hopes a needed boost in the Bulls' 102-90 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night.