Chicago ? Eddy Curry scored 22 points and Kirk Hinrich added 18 points and nine assists, leading the Chicago Bulls to a 105-90 victory over the Orlando Magic on Saturday night.
Grant Hill scored 16 points for Orlando, which lost its third straight overall and fifth straight on the road. Steve Francis finished with 12 points on 3-for-12 shooting, and Dwight Howard had 10 points and 12 rebounds.
The Bulls erased an early seven-point deficit with a 19-2 run in a five-minute span of the first quarter. Curry scored 11 points in the opening period and Hinrich added eight points.
The Bulls closed out the second quarter with an 11-3 run. Ben Gordon and Hinrich hit 3-pointers to help Chicago to a 60-37 lead at the break.
Hinrich led Chicago with 16 points and five assists in the half, and Curry added 15 points and five rebounds.
Luol Deng scored seven straight points late in the third quarter on a putback, a three-point play and a driving layup to give Chicago its biggest lead at 82-49. He finished with 15 points and seven rebounds.
Gordon finished with 18 points in a reserve role for the Bulls.
Because of the large deficit, Hill and Francis sat out the entire fourth quarter.
Notes: The Magic activated center Kelvin Cato before the game and placed forward Michael Bradley on the injured list with a strained hamstring. Cato scored 13 points. … The Bulls scored a season-high 60 points in the first half. … Curry collided with Orlando’s Mario Kasun as the two scrambled for a loose ball in the fourth quarter. Kasun hit his head on Curry’s thigh and did not return.
