Sixers blow out Bulls 98-82

Feb 2, 2012, 7:23 GMT

Los Angeles - Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young scored 19 points apiece to pace five teammates in double figures Wednesday night as the Philadelphia 76ers stifled the visiting Chicago Bulls 98-82 in a showdown of Eastern Conference division leaders.

Jrue Holiday had 17 points, while Lavoy Allen had 15 and fellow reserve Lou Williams with 14 finished for the Atlantic Conference-leading Sixers (16-6), who have strung together impressive back-to-back home victories after holding the Orlando Magic to 65 points Monday.

Reserve CJ Watson scored 20 points and Derrick Rose had 18 for the Bulls (18-6), who without injured starters Luol Deng and Richard Hamilton dropped to 1-2 on their grueling nine-game road trip.

After leading by four at halftime, Philadelphia blew open the game in the third quarter. With Igoudala scoring nine points, the Sixers' league-best defence clamped down, limiting the Bulls to just 11 points on 3-of-16 shooting to open up a commanding 75-55 cushion. They never allowed the lead to dip below double digits in the final frame.

Brandon Jennings scored 31 points, Drew Gooden had 12 of his 17 in the final quarter as the Milwaukee Bucks overcame an 18-point first-half hole and a season-high 40 points by LeBron James to snap the visiting Miami Heat's five-game winning streak, 105-97.

Russell Westbrook scored six of his 33 points in the final two minutes, while Kevin Durant collected 23 points with 13 rebounds, carrying the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder past the reigning NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks 95-86, in a battle of Western Conference heavyweights.

Elsewhere: the Orlando Magic dropped the visiting Washington Wizards 109-103; the visiting Phoenix Suns squashed the New Orleans Hornets 120-103; the San Antonio Spurs stopped the visiting Houston Rockets 99-91; the New Jersey Nets clipped the visiting Detroit Pistons 99-96.

Also, the visiting Indiana Pacers trimmed the Minnesota Timberwolves 109-99; the Boston Celtics routed the visiting Toronto Raptors 100-64; the Portland Trail Blazers pounded the visiting Charlotte Bobcats 112-68; and the visiting LA Clippers slipped past the Utah Jazz 107-105.