Morning Box Score: Bulls Control East, Hawks Outlast Blue Jackets

By Angie Wiatrowski in News on Apr 2, 2011 3:00PM

Bulls 101, Pistons 96

Derrick Rose scored 27 points helping Chicago hold off the Pistons and inch closer on a home-court advantage for the Eastern Conference playoffs in a 101-96 win Friday.

Thirteen of his 27 were scored in the first quarter, and the Bulls have won 14 of 16 to improve to 55-20. This gives Chicago a 2 ½-game lead over Miami and a three-game lead over Boston.

Rose was 8 of 17, making half of his 3-point attempts and had 7 assists and 4 steals. Carlos Boozer had 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists. Part of the Bulls' 'Bench Mob' also contributed, with Luol Den grabbing 15 points and Ronnie Brewer scoring 9.

The Bulls will hit the court again Saturday night as they host the Toronto Raptors.

Blackhawks 4, Blue Jackets 3

A win is a win, and these days the Blackhawks will take whatever points they can get as they cling on to eighth place in the Western Conference. Friday night proved just that as they took a 4-3 shootout victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. The win allowed them to maintain their three-point lead over Calgary for the last position for a playoff spot.

Viktor Stalberg scored the Blackhawks' only goal in the shootout and goaltender Corey Crawford made 31 saves. Patrick Kane had a goal and an assist while Brent Seabrook and Bryan Bickell also scored for the Blackhawks.

The Blackhawks were still without Patrick Sharp, who has 34 goals, missing his fifth straight game with a knee injury and will be reevaluated.

The Hawks will hit the ice again on Sunday when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning.