ATLANTA—The Bulls showed they are still a bit shy of being a true championship contender. They ‘played’ for about 22 minutes, then coasted into halftime and failed to show up for the second half and blew leads of 14-0 and later a 19 point bulge and lost 83-80 to the Atlanta Hawks at Phillips to drop to 2-1 on their five game road trip.Al Horford delivered one of the best games of his career to lead a comeback that wasn’t complete until the final minute.Horford matched his career high with 31 points, including a jam with 29 seconds remaining.and all against the team his former teammate at Florida,Jokin Noah plays on.
to give Atlanta its first lead, and the Hawks beat the Bulls 83-80 on Wednesday night.After their 14-0 run to open the game, the Bulls kept the lead until the final minute.Horford had 16 rebounds and two steals, including one against Derrick Rose after Horford’s go-ahead basket. The steal set up a jam by Joe Johnson for the final margin.Rose had 12 points and 12 assists, but he made only five of 21 shots and had a game-high six turnovers. He accepted responsibility for the loss.

“I made some careless passes,” Rose said. “The game was definitely on me. … But I guarantee it won’t happen again.” Added Rose: “Careless. Careless. We let one escape for real.”

Luol Deng led the Bulls with 15 points. Noah had 13 points and 12 rebounds.The Hawks were without injured forward Josh Smith. Johnson and Jamal Crawford each had 12 points. Johnson had nine assists.The Hawks cut the Bulls lead to 79-78 on a 3-pointer by Marvin Williams with 1:18 remaining.Atlanta finally pulled even at 79 when Horford made one of two free throws. A free throw by Noah gave Chicago an 80-79 lead.Following a timeout, former Bull Jamal Crawford dove toward the basket and passed to Horford, whose jam gave Atlanta its first lead at 81-80.Kyle Korver missed a 3-pointer at the final buzzer.Horford had 13 points in the third quarter.Williams said Horford is at his best when playing against Noah.

“Al would probably never admit it, but I think it’s personal,” Williams said. “You always want to bring it against your former [teammates], and he does it every time.”

Noah was impressed.”Horford played great,” he said. “It was an outstanding effort.It’s a tough way to lose, but it just shows you’ve got to play the game for 48 minutes.”

The Bulls established a physical and dominant pace when Noah beat Horford for the opening tip.Rose penetrated and passed to Carlos Boozer, who dunked for the game’s first basket. Noah blocked a shot by Horford on the other end, and the Bulls were on their way to the 14-0 run.Johnson, guarded by Deng much of the game, missed seven of eight shots in the first half. He finished with 12 points on 5-for-20 shooting.Bulls starters outscored Atlanta’s first five 42-16 in the half for a 50-33 lead.Another former Bull, Kirk Hinrich had three points while making his first start in his third game with the Hawks. He was acquired in a five-player trade with Washington last week.Tensions flared late in the first half when Horford was fouled hard by Boozer, who wrapped his arm under the All-Star center’s chin. With Horford on his back under the basket, Hawks center Zaza Pachulia pushed Bulls players away. Horford remained in the game to make one of two free throws.

NOTES—The Bulls have lost six straight in Atlanta since its last win on April 1, 2007….The Hawks went 8:48 without a field goal in the second quarter….. Horford hit his first 3-pointer of the season and second of his career in the third quarter. His double-double was his 30th of the season.

GOODYEAR—Homer Bailey’s first spring training start helped his bid for a spot in Cincinnati’s rotation.The former first-round draft pick allowed only an infield single over two innings during the Reds’ 7-6 victory against the White Sox on Wednesday. Bailey is one of at least three pitchers competing for the last two slots in the rotation behind Edinson Volquez, Bronson Arroyo and Johnny Cueto.Shoulder inflammation cost Bailey a couple of months last season. He’s eager to show that he’s healthy and worthy of keeping a job with the NL Central champions.The Sox also got a solid performance from starter, Edwin Jackson, who yielded two walks in two scoreless innings. Jackson threw a no-hitter for Arizona on June 25, but later struggled and was traded to the White Sox after putting up a 5.16 ERA and 6-10 record.Jackson filled Jake Peavy’s spot in the rotation after the former ace underwent season-ending surgery. Jackson allowed only three runs in his first four starts and went 4-2 with a 3.24 ERA.Fred Lewis singled home the first run of the game and Jeremy Hermida hit a two-run homer off Kyle Cofield in the Reds’ five-run fifth. They’re competing for a share of the job in left field.Devin Mesoraco’s solo homer in the eighth put the Reds ahead. Mesoraco, a 22-year-old catcher who was the club’s top draft pick in June 2007, hit his first homer off Freddy Dolsi.

NOTES—A.J. Pierzynski was charegd with speeding while on the way to the ballpark.He was already wearing his uniform…..catcher Ramon Hernandez passed his test for U.S. citizenship. The Venezuelan will take the oath soon to make it official. … The White Sox and Arizona Diamondbacks will play a charity game in Tucson on March 7. The game will benefit the Christina Taylor Green Memorial Fund. Green, the 9-year-old granddaughter of former major league manager Dallas Green, was killed by the gunman who targeted U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in January.

SCOTTSDALE—Tim Lincecum made up for his shaky first start.He pitched three hitless innings for San Francisco in his second spring training outing start before Aramis Ramirez hit a tiebreaking, two-run double in a three-run sixth that led the Cubs over the World Champion Giants 3-2 Tuesday.Lincecum struck out two and allowed only one runner to reach: Starlin Castro on an error by shortstop Miguel Tejada.Lincecum gave up three runs and five hits in 1 2-3 innings in his first start, against Arizona.He’s looking forward to having a full spring to work with catcher Buster Posey after veteran Bengie Molina yielded to Posey last year.Cubs starter Ryan Dempster gave up one run, two hits and a walk in three innings, striking out three.Pablo Sandoval had a second-inning, opposite-field RBI double to left, then doubled off the batter’s eye 430 feet away in center in the fourth. Sandoval has five RBIs and eight hits thus far, including two doubles and two home runs.The Cubs won for the first time in three spring training games this year.Ryan Dempster started and gave up a run on two hits, walked one and struck out three in three innings. Todd Wellemeyer, the Giants’ fifth starter a year ago and now is in his second tour of duty with the Cubs, gave up one hit in two innings and struck out two and got the win.The Giants got within a run in the eighth on a single by Thomas Neal, and had a chance to tie it in the ninth before Esmalin Caridad got the save.With two outs and the tying run at third, Brandon Belt pulled a line drive that right fielder Jim Adduci caught at the last moment with the sun in his eyes.

NOTES: Giants CF Andres Torres missed his second straight game with a strained muscle on his left side. Time for his return is uncertain … Sandoval is now 6 for 13 with two home runs, two doubles and five RBIs. … Marlon Byrd had two hits and an RBI and is 4 for 6 to start the spring …Carlos Silva makes his first spring start on Wednesday against the Milwaukee Brewers.

GLENDALE—Slowed by a bruised right side, Zack Greinke was erratic in his first spring training start for the Milwaukee Brewers.Greinke needed 40 pitches to get four outs, walking three and allowing one hit Tuesday as the Brewers beat the White Sox 3-1.Acquired from Kansas City in December, Greinke loaded the bases in the first and fell behind 2-1 in the count to Dayan Viciedo, prompting a visit to the mound by pitching coach Rick Kranitz.Greinke got Viciedo to swing and miss at two straight breaking balls to escape trouble, then was removed after walking Brent Lillibridge in the second. Mark Buehrle pitched two perfect innings with one strikeout, needing just 12 pitches in each inning. He threw 15 pitches for strikes.Milwaukee’s Rickie Weeks had an RBI single off Phil Humber in the third inning, and Brandon Boggs hit a two-run single against rookie Chris Sale in the eighth.Alejandro De Aza had an RBI grounder for the Cubs in the ninth.Adam Dunn struggled again as the White Sox designated hitter, striking out, walking and hitting into a double play. On Monday, he walked once and struck out twice Monday.The double-play ball in the fifth would have gone through the middle, had the Brewers not applied an infield shift. Weeks, the second baseman, was right behind the bag when he fielded the ball.What Ozzie Guillen took from the game was a promising day defensively from Viciedo, who made the switch from third base to outfield.

NOTES—Jake Peavy said he felt fine after a 40-pitch bullpen session, despite some fatigue during the final 15 pitches. Peavy is slated to start Friday’s game against the Angels. … Brewers CF Carlos Gomez and 3B Craig Counsell both made exceptional defensive plays in the fourth to prevent a big inning.

WASHINGTON — In the first quarter, Derrick Rose brought out the oohs and aahs with a backward between-the-legs pass to Joakim Noah for a fast-break dunk. In the second quarter, Luol Deng was walking to the locker room even before his 3-pointer from the corner swished through the net at the halftime buzzer.In the fourth quarter, Rose fed Deng and Noah for back-to-back dunks that pushed the lead to 24. It was then time for the Bulls fans to change their chant from “M-V-P” for Rose to “Sca-la-breeee-nee” for beloved sub Brian Scalabrine, who came off the bench and hit a 19-footer that had the fans roaring in the road arena.The Bulls frolicked past the Washington Wizards 105-77 Monday night.The Bulls never trailed as they won their third straight and seventh in eight games. They moved within a game of the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference as part of a three-way battle with the Boston Celtics for the conference’s No. 1 seed. Up next: a breathtaking trio of games at Atlanta, Orlando and Miami to finish up a five-game trip.Deng also scored 21 points, Noah had 19 points and 11 rebounds, and Carlos Boozer had 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulls. Noah was playing his fourth game since returning from a torn ligament in his right thumb, and his increasing comfort level showed when he was there to handle that highlight-reel pass from Rose.Andray Blatche scored 15 points, and Nick Young had 14 for the Wizards, who have lost six in a row and 15of17 and have increasingly watched their home arena turned into a mass cheering section for whatever visiting team happens to be in town.Mike Bibby was so anxious to leave that he gave up $6.2 million in a contract buyout on Monday after playing just two games with Washington. He had been acquired last week in a trade with Atlanta.The Wizards have lost four of their last eight games by 20 or more points. In this one, they shot 36 percent, were outrebounded 56-39 and managed only four fast break points. No. 1 overall pick John Wall was 3-for-14 from the field and finished with nine points and 10 assists.

NOTES—The Bulls equaled their win total from last season’s 41-41 team….Blatche returned after missing two games with a strained hip muscle…..The Bulls are 3-0 vs Washingtonn in the season series with one to play.

ST.PAUL—After enduring some rough patches, the Blackhawks have finally begun to play as if they’re not ready to relinquish their title.Jonathan Toews, naturally, is leading the charge.Toews and Patrick Sharp each scored in the second period, and the defending champion Blackhawks stretched their winning streak to a season-high five games with a 4-2 win over the Minnesota Wild on Monday night.Tomas Kopecky also scored in the second, Marian Hossa sealed the game with a short-handed goal with 1:52 left, and the surging Blackhawks crept a little bit closer to last year’s Stanley Cup form.The captain, Toews, had two assists and has 23 points in his last 14 games, including four goals in his last six. That classic cliche about every game counting has grown this season from mostly coach-speak to unquestionable reality in the West, a normally competitive conference that now has a near-ridiculous amount of playoff contenders tightly packed together in a prime example of the NHL’s post-lockout parity.Seven teams started the day within three points of each other, from fifth through 11th place. The Wild paid for a flat first two periods and lost to one of their primary competitors, falling to the final playoff spot with 72 points while the Blackhawks barged into sixth place with 74 points.Ex Hawk Martin Havlat scored early in the third period against his old team, his 20th this season. Hossa scored for the fourth straight game and Sharp got his 33rd goal of the season, tied for second-most in the NHL.Brent Burns brought the Wild within one with 4:12 left after digging for his own rebound. His backhand flip between his skates gave him 16 goals, a career high and the franchise record for defensemen.The Wild couldn’t keep up with the Sharp-Toews-Patrick Kane line, even with the league’s hits leader Cal Clutterbuck going against them several times. Then again, not many teams can. Penalty killing has been a problem for the Blackhawks this season, but they denied the Wild on three power plays, none more critical than when Kopecky then took a delay-of-game penalty with 3:22 left. The Wild peppered goalie Corey Crawford — starting for the eighth straight game — during a mad scramble toward the end of it, but the puck escaped and Hossa found himself on a 2-on-1 rush for the clincher.The Blackhawks flexed their offensive muscle right after the first intermission. Only 44 seconds into the second period, Toews was behind the net and found Sharp cutting in from the right circle untouched for an easy one-timer.Wild goalie Niklas Backstrom, second in the league in save percentage after giving up 13 goals over his previous nine starts, appeared to have Brian Campbell’s slap shot covered a few minutes later. But Viktor Stalberg poked the puck loose and Kopecky backhanded it in for a 2-0 lead.Toews then took a pass from Patrick Kane on an extra-wide 2-on-1 rush and knocked it in, making Backstrom’s water bottle jump on top of the net.

NOTES—Blackhawks D Nick Leddy played at Xcel Energy Center for the first time since winning a state championship with Eden Prairie High School two years ago. He was a first-round draft pick by the Wild, then was traded last season for Cam Barker, who was scratched again with an upper-body injury.

MESA—Kerry Wood understands the comparisons but thinks they are unfair.Andrew Cashner, just 24, is a touted young pitcher from Texas — just like Wood was more than a decade ago. Back with the Cubs this year, Wood got a standing ovation Monday when he made his spring training debut during a 5-3 loss to a Milwaukee Brewers’ split squad.After coming up to the majors as a reliever last season, Cashner is trying to earn a job as the fifth starter. The 6-foot-6 right-hander with a 98 mph was the loser, allowing two runs, three hits and a walk in two innings.After making nine starts in the minor leagues last year, Cashner compiled a 4.80 ERA in 53 games with the Cubs. Mike Quade said at the very least Cashner will return to the bullpen, but he wanted to give him a chance to start.One of the other candidates for the fifth-starter spot is Randy Wells, who started the game and allowed two hits in two scoreless innings.Wood allowed two runs and three hits in one inning. He used a tight curveball to strike out two.Milwaukee used a defensive shift on left-handed-hitting Carlos Pena in his two at-bats.Ryan Braun doubled, made a nice running catch and threw out a runner at the plate. Carlos Gomez added a hit, run and stolen base in two plate appearances for the Brewers, and Mark Kotsay had a RBI single.Winner Tim Dillard allowed one run and two hits in two innings. Reed Johnson had two singles for the Cubs, and Zealous Wheeler had two hits for Milwaukee.

NOTES—The Cubs made three errors for the second straight game. “We need to find a way to put crooked numbers under the left side of the scoreboard under innings and not on the far end under errors,” Quade said. “We have work to do.” … The Cubs have sold out six regular-season home games: opening day on April 1, the June 17-19 series against the Yankees, July 2 against the White Sox and Aug. 20 against St. Louis.

GLENDALE—Clayton Kershaw started the game with a four-pitch walk to former-Dodger Juan Pierre.He allowed an unearned run and two hits in three innings, helping Los Angeles beat the White Sox 6-5 Monday.Kershaw struck out three and walked one.Kershaw found out last week he had been selected to become the Dodgers’ youngest opening-day starting pitcher since 22-year-old Fernando Valenzuela in 1983.Winner Jonathan Broxton pitched a hitless, scoreless inning.White Sox starter Gavin Floyd faced the minimum six batters in two hitless innings.

NOTES—Damaso Espino drove in two runs for the Dodgers, and Donny Lucy had two RBIs for the White Sox. … Loser Tony Pena Jr. gave up two runs and three hits in the fourth, and Miguel Socolovich allowed four runs in two-thirds of an inning in the fifth.