(Reuters) – Eastern Conference top seeds Chicago inched closer to securing home-court advantage throughout the NBA playoffs with a 92-87 win over Indiana on Wednesday.
A win over Cleveland in their regular-season finale, or one more loss from San Antonio, would give the Bulls top spot overall. Kyle Korver scored a team-high 20 points off the bench and Derrick Rose had 10 and seven assists in just 27 minutes. Reigning league MVP Rose has missed 26 games this season but coach Tom Thibodeau said his All-Star guard is improving.
“He said this morning he’s feeling a lot better, and that’s after two days of practice too,” Thibodeau told reporters. ““That’s a good sign.”
Orlando beat Charlotte 102-95 to clinch the sixth seed in the East but their playoff chances look bleak with Dwight Howard out injured. New York, fighting with Philadelphia for seventh spot, beat the Los Angeles Clippers 99-93 while the 76ers beat Milwaukee 90-85. The Knicks currently hold seventh spot and have the tiebreaker over the 76ers.
