NBA

Hinrich assists in ending Magic streak

By Times Staff
Published November 30, 2005

CHICAGO - Kirk Hinrich hit the open shots. He hit the floor chasing loose balls. He hit his teammates with precise passes.

That combination lifted the Bulls over the Orlando Magic 85-76 Tuesday night for their fourth straight victory.

Hinrich scored 20 and tied a career high by finishing with 14 assists for the third time. The third-year pro added five steals and finished with his third double-double of the season. He was 8-of-17.

"My mentality was a lot better, I think," Hinrich said. "I was able to shake off the bad plays I made and keep playing with confidence throughout the game. That's something I'm trying to work on on the days off - just go out there and play and forget about all the little things that happen."

Luol Deng tied his season high with 21 points for the Bulls in their first home game since Nov. 12. Andres Nocioni added 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Hedo Turkoglu scored 20, and Dwight Howard added 17 points and 19 rebounds for Orlando, which had its four-game winning streak snapped.

Jameer Nelson had 13 points, but Steve Francis was just 2-of-9 and finished with nine points. He was cut above his right eyebrow after being fouled with 6:33 left in the game, but stayed in.

Chicago converted 19 turnovers by the Magic into 27 points.

"The biggest thing was we didn't take care of the ball," Orlando coach Brian Hill said. "Just way too many turnovers against a team like this."

The Bulls outscored Orlando 27-16 in the third quarter.

BULLS SPLIT: The Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times reported that forward Tim Thomas and the Bulls agreed to split, with the Bulls attempting to honor Thomas' trade request. Thomas will continue to collect his $14 million salary. He is averaging 4.3 points, 1.3 rebounds and 10.7 minutes in three appearances, and had made it clear he was not happy in a limited role.

[Last modified November 30, 2005, 02:15:38]