LEAD: Sixers stifle Bulls 98-82 in Eastern Conference showdown

By Paul Levine Feb 2, 2012, 8:41 GMT

Los Angeles - It wasn't supposed to be this easy but the Philadelphia 76ers are out prove they are among the beasts of the East. On Wednesday night, they made a believer out of Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau.

Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young scored 19 points apiece to pace five team-mates in double figures as the Sixers stifled the visiting Bulls 98-82 in a showdown of division leaders.

The Sixers wanted to use the game as a measuring stick and they clearly stuck it to the Eastern Conference leaders.

'They are a very solid team that can go out and get wins by 20 or 30 each and every night,' Young said of the conference leaders. 'We just had to come out and play and show we were just as good as they are. We wanted to compete and show we're on the same level.'

Thibodeau came away impressed after the beat-down and rated the Sixers as a conference contender.

'I see a very good team,' he said. 'They're right there with everyone else. They're well balanced and there's not one aspect of the game that they don't have covered. Philly is certainly very impressive.'

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

'They said we're not top five in the East,' said Holiday, referring to the pundits, 'but we're trying to show that we are.'

Reserve CJ Watson scored 20 points and Derrick Rose had 18 for the Bulls, who were 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 limited the Bulls to just 11 points on 3-of-16 shooting to open up a commanding 75-55 cushion heading into the final quarter and cruised home with their fourth straight victory.

'In the third quarter, their defence was great,' Thibodeau said. 'They came out with a lot of aggressiveness, we got back on our heels and we dug ourselves a big hole.'

Elsewhere: Orlando Magic 109, Washington Wizards 103: Dwight Howard had 23 points with 18 rebounds while Ryan Anderson also scored 23 and the Magic snapped a season-high four-game slide by beating the visiting Wizards, who received 24 points from Nick Young.

Boston Celtics 100, Toronto Raptors 64: Paul Pierce led five players in double figures with 17 points and the Celtics routed the visiting Raptors for their seventh win in the last eight games.

LA Clippers 107, Utah Jazz 105: Chris Paul scored 12 of his season-high 34 points in the final quarter, and Blake Griffin added 31 with 14 rebounds as the Clippers snapped a string of 16 consecutive losses to the Jazz in Utah since last winning there in january 2003.

New Jersey Nets 99, Detroit Pistons 96: Deron Williams scored 26 points, Kris Humphries added 18 and the Nets handed the visiting Pistons their seventh straight loss.

Oklahoma City Thunder 95, Dallas Mavericks 86: Russell Westbrook scored six of his 33 points in the final two minutes, Kevin Durant had 23 points with 13 rebounds and the Thunder dealt the reigning NBA Champion Mavericks their second loss in the last eight games in a showdown of Western Conference powerhouses.

Milwaukee Bucks 105, Miami Heat 97: Brandon Jennings scored 31 points, while Drew Gooden had 12 of his 17 in the fourth quarter as the Bucks overcame an early 18-point deficit and LeBron James' season-high 40 points to snap the visiting Heat's five-game roll.

Indiana Pacers 109, Minnesota Timberwolves 99: Danny Granger scored 29 of his season-high 36 points in the second half and the visiting Pacers trimmed the Timberwolves, who received 21 points and 17 rebounds from Kevin Love.

Phoenix Suns 120, New Orleans Hornets 103: Steve Nash scored 30 points on 13-of-16 shooting and handed out 10 assists, Marcin Gortat contributed 23 points with 11 rebounds as the visiting Suns handed the Hornets their 12th loss in the last 13 games.

San Antonio Spurs 99, Houston Rockets 91: Tim Duncan scored 25 points and Frenchman Tony Parker had 24 as the Spurs rallied from 18 down in the third quarter to beat the Rockets and improve to 11-1 at home.

Portland Trail Blazers 112, Charlotte Bobcats 68: Jamal Crawford scored 24 points, Gerald Wallace added 23 and the hosting Trail Blazers sent the league-worst Bobcats to their 10th straight loss and worst in franchise history.