CLEVELAND—Jake Peavy needed an easy night to take some stress off his overworked right arm. The White Sox gave him one.They staked Peavy to an early eight-run lead and he cruised for seven innings on Thursday night as the Sox rocked Cleveland 8-1 to split the four-game series against the AL Central-leading Indians. Adam Dunn hit his 10th home run, a two-run shot in the first inning and the White Sox tacked on six runs in the fourth off Jeanmar Gomez (2-2). That eased the burden on Peavy, who threw 122 pitches in his previous start and pitched nine innings in the two before that. Peavy (4-1) allowed seven hits, struck out five and had little difficulty in subduing the Indians, who didn’t get a runner past second base until the seventh. He has been overpowering in his past five starts, posting a 1.36 ERA.

“I had great stuff,” Peavy said. “It wasn’t an easy start by any means, but to have a start where you can be aggressive and throw a lot of strikes and not have to really work hard was nice. If you could draw it up like that for all 30-some starts, it would be a perfect world.”

Alexei Ramirez had three hits and Alejandro De Aza drove in two runs for the White Sox, who had only one extra-base hit — Dunn’s 425-foot blast off Gomez, who was tagged for eight runs and nine hits in 6 2/3 innings. After playing in seven straight games decided by two runs or fewer, the White Sox finally had a somewhat relaxed nine innings. They were swept in a day-night doubleheader on Monday, but bounced back to take the final two games in the series. The Sox improved to 14-5 in its last 19 games at Progressive Field.

“It was good to come back with these two wins after losing the doubleheader,” Peavy said. “You have to beat the team in first place in your division.”

Peavy was only in trouble once before allowing a run in the seventh. Travis Hafner led off Cleveland’s second with a single, and one out later, Shin-Soo Choo singled. Michael Brantley followed by hitting a line drive up the middle that Peavy somehow trapped against his stomach before throwing to first to force Choo for an inning-ending double play.Brantley just shook his head and laughed as he headed back to the dugout. Peavy got ahead of nearly every Cleveland hitter, preventing the Indians from being too selective.Dunn’s homer was really all Peavy needed. After the start of the game was delayed for 64 minutes by rain that never arrived, Gomez walked De Aza leading off. One out later, Dunn drove a 1-0 pitch deep into the lower seats in right, the burly designated hitter’s sixth homer in the last 11 games.Dunn hit just 11 homers last season and didn’t connect for his 10th until July 26.

“I don’t feel bad, but I don’t feel like I’m on fire by any means,” Dunn said.

Dunn would later strike out in his 36th consecutive game, which according research done by the Indians, is the longest streak since pitcher Bob Veale (1967-68).The White Sox added six runs in the fourth, torturing Gomez by going base to base with hard-hit singles and a pair of walks to open an 8-0 lead. A.J. Pierzynski, Ramirez and Eduardo Escobar each hit RBI singles before De Aza drove in two runs with a single to center. Gordon Beckham followed with a sinking liner to left that Johnny Damon snared with a diving catch for the second out, but Escobar, starting in place of Brent Morel, alertly tagged and scored to cap the inning. As Gomez struggled, Indians manager Manny Acta elected not to get anyone up in his overworked bullpen. Peavy also allowed White Sox manager Robin Ventura to rest his relievers. Before the game, the club announced that new closer Chris Sale would undergo an MRI on his sore left elbow Thursday in Chicago. Sale was recently moved from the starting rotation into the closer’s role because of tenderness in his elbow.Ventura insisted the move is precautionary at this point, but the team won’t really know until it gets test results on the 23-year-old Sale.

NOTES—The Indians remain uncertain about RHP Roberto Hernandez’s future. Formerly known as Fausto Carmona, Hernandez remains in the Dominican Republic, where he was arrested in January on identity fraud charges. Acta said Hernandez’s representatives thought he would have rejoined the club by now, but he’s been unable to get a work visa to return to the U.S. … Acta rested 3B Jack Hannahan, who “tweaked” his left groin in Tuesday’s game. Acta expects Hannahan, who is batting .291 with 16 RBIs in 26 games, will be available for Thursday’s series opener in Boston. … Morel was a late scratch from the starting lineup with a sore lower back. … Since the start of the 2003, White Sox pitchers lead the majors with 815 quality star

Paul Maholm’s rocky start with the Cubs is all but forgotten. After giving up 12 runs and 12 hits over eight innings in his first two outings, Maholm has more than settled down.He has become one of the team’s best pitchers.Maholm pitched seven strong innings Wednesday, combining with two relievers on a four-hit shutout as the Cubs beat the Atlanta Braves 1-0. Backed by some good defense and an RBI single from Bryan LaHair in the seventh, Maholm outpitched Tim Hudson and earned his fourth straight win.

“I think for four games I’ve pitched well,” Maholm said. “I’m going to have another rough outing at some point, it’s part of baseball. But I’m going to ride this as long as I possibly can and hopefully for a good while.”

Maholm (4-2) allowed three hits and combined with James Russell and Rafael Dolis to blank the Braves in a game that took only two hours and five minutes to play. Maholm walked three and struck out three as the Cubs took two of three from Atlanta after doing the same in the previous series against the Dodgers.

“After probably his second start, he’s been as good as anybody,” Cubs manager Dale Sveum said of Maholm, signed as a free agent after seven seasons with the Pirates. “We knew what we were getting, we were getting a guy who throws strikes, can throw four pitches, can manipulate the ball, he’s a good athlete. He’s done a great job.”

After Maholm came out to warm up for the eighth, Russell replaced him and gave up a two-out double to Martin Prado and a walk to Freddie Freeman, then retired Dan Uggla on a flyout. Dolis worked the ninth for his third save in four chances. Hudson (1-1) allowed one run and five hits in seven innings in his third start this season. He gave up only three hits through the first six innings and — thanks to a pair of double plays — faced the minimum 18 batters.

“It’s disappointing. I felt like we played a pretty good game. Obviously they had a guy over there who was throwing the ball pretty well, too,” Hudson said. “He made some pitches. They had some breaks with some of their defensive alignments with some guys on base. The ball was bouncing their way. Not a whole lot else you can say about it.”

David DeJesus hit a leadoff single in the seventh, and Tony Campana bunted him to second and he reached third on Starlin Castro’s grounder to first. LaHair then hit a hard grounder under shortstop Jack Wilson’s glove to give the Cubs the lead. Prado doubled and reached third in the sixth and after Uggla walked with two outs, Chipper Jones lined out to second baseman Darwin Barney, who was positioned behind the bag at second in a defensive shift. Otherwise, it would have been a run-scoring single.The defensive shifts are something Sveum favors, saying that third base coach Pat Listach studies all the opposing hitters and their tendencies, allowing the Cubs to move defenders around by playing the percentages on which direction the ball likely will go when it comes off the bat. Atlanta threatened with one out in the fifth when Heyward walked and Ross reached on a single when Campana lost his high fly to center on an overcast day at Wrigley Field and it dropped in. Maholm retired the next two batters. Castro tried for an inside-the-park home run, hitting a ball near the right field line that a diving Jason Heyward couldn’t reach. The ball rolled all the way to the wall, Castro kept running and Listach waved him home. Castro was tagged out easily by catcher David Ross on second baseman Uggla’s relay.

NOTES—Atlanta’s Jones, who is retiring at the end of the season, was presented with a Braves flag before the game by Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster….LaHair has reached base in 27 straight games dating to April 8. He also singled in the second…..Cubs manager Dale Sveum said he didn’t see Kerry Wood toss his glove and cap into the stands Tuesday night after issuing two walks and giving up a go-ahead single in the eighth. Sveum said he didn’t condone it but said “there are frustrations that happen” and people sometimes do things they regret because they aren’t perfect. Wood has allowed two runs in both of his appearances since coming off the DL with a tired shoulder….Alfonso Soriano was out of the lineup for the second time in three games to rest a sore knee.

The Bulls aren’t quite finished after all.Luol Deng scored 24 points, Carlos Boozer added 19 points and 13 rebounds, and the Bulls beat the Philadelphia 76ers 77-69 on Tuesday night to avoid a first-round playoff exit. The top-seeded Bulls finally won without point guard Derrick Rose, building a nine-point halftime lead and staying in control down the stretch to pull within 3-2. Game 6 will be Thursday in Philadelphia. It’s been a brutal series for the Bulls, with Rose tearing the ACL in his left knee late in the opener and center Joakim Noah spraining his left ankle in Game 3. He sat out his second successive game, but his teammates refused to bow out quietly.Instead, the Bulls locked down the Sixers, holding them to a season-low 32.1 percent shooting. And with Boozer and Deng coming up big, the Bulls kept their season going. Deng played more like an All-Star after averaging just eight points in the previous three games, hitting 4 of 5 3-point attempts — three in the fourth quarter. He also grabbed eight rebounds. Boozer tied a career-playoff high with six assists, and the Bulls came out on top just when their season appeared to be unraveling.They still have no room for error. A loss Thursday would make them the fifth No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 8 seed in the first round and the second in as many years, after San Antonio fell to Memphis last season. But if they continue to play like this, the Bulls just might have a shot. Jrue Holiday scored 16 points for Philadelphia but hit just 5 of 17 shots. Lou Williams scored 13 points and Andre Iguodala and Spencer Hawes both finished with 11. Hawes scored 21 and 22 the previous two games, although he did grab 14 rebounds, and the Sixers remained one win from their first series victory since 2003. The Bulls took a 57-48 lead into the fourth quarter after another injury scare late in the third. This time, Taj Gibson came up clutching his right ankle and hit the court after fouling Lavoy Allen underneath with just over 2 minutes left in the quarter. He came back early in the fourth to loud cheers, and the crowd was really roaring when Deng nailed a 3 to make it 67-52, giving the Bulls their biggest lead. They had more to cheer when Gibson hit a jumper, pumping his fist, and two free throws to get the lead 71-58. And they were really screaming moments later when guard Ronnie Brewer blocked Elton Brand on a putback. Deng had it going early on, scoring 11 points in the first half. And the Bulls led 35-26 after closing it out on a 10-2 run in which things got heated. Boozer missed a jumper. Gibson and Brand wound up on the court near the Bulls bench in a scramble for the loose ball, and they kept going at it as players from both sides joined the scrum. Brewer and Evan Turner appeared to exchange some heated words, but Gibson and Brand wound up getting technical fouls with 2:25 left. Boozer scored on a reverse layup and Brewer hit a runner to make it a nine-point game with a minute left, while the Sixers simply couldn’t convert. They missed their final four shots of the half, including a tip and layup by Hawes, and were just 4 of 23 in the second quarter.

NOTES—Tom Thibodeau again said a timetable for Rose’s surgery has not been set. “They’re still talking things over,” he said. … Fans gave Rose a loud ovation and he responded with a wave when he was shown seated in a suite during a second-quarter timeout. … Brand had five points for Philadelphia, and Turner scored four.

Dan Uggla hit a tiebreaking two-run single in the eighth inning and the Atlanta Braves beat the Cubs 3-1 Tuesday night.Michael Bourn reached on a leadoff single and Kerry Wood issued two walks before Uggla drove a 1-1 pitch back up the middle for his third hit of the game. Freddie Freeman helped set up the big inning by hustling down the line to prevent a potential double play. Wood (0-2) has struggled since he was sidelined for three weeks with right shoulder fatigue, yielding two runs in each of his two outings since he was activated from the disabled list on Thursday. Kris Medlen (1-0) pitched a perfect seventh, Jonny Venters worked out of a jam in the eighth and Craig Kimbrel finished for his 10th save in 11 chances.The Cubs wasted another effective outing by Ryan Dempster, who struck out seven in seven innings. The right-hander yielded just one run and six hits, but remained winless on the year and his ERA actually increased a tick, from 0.95 to 1.02. Atlanta put at least one runner on in five of Dempster’s innings, but struggled to score for the second straight game. Freeman was particularly unlucky, hitting a liner right at shortstop Starlin Castro with a runner on in the fourth and another rocket right to Dempster in the sixth. The Braves finally got on the board in the fifth. Jason Heyward led off with a drive into the right-field corner for his third triple of the season, then scampered home on Tyler Pastornicky’s sacrifice fly to right. It was the second run in 15 innings for Atlanta, which lost 5-1 in the series opener on Monday night. The Cubs responded in the sixth. Tony Campana led off with a single to left for the Cubs second hit of the game. He moved up on Bryan LaHair’s bouncer to second and scored on Alfonso Soriano’s two-out double off Randall Delgado. Delgado left after Soriano’s hit, posting his second consecutive solid outing. The right-hander allowed three hits, struck out five and walked three, but remained winless since he beat the Mets on April 17.

NOTES—Wood threw his glove and cap into the stands after that aforementioned 8th inning….Braves 3B Chipper Jones made a nice diving stop to rob Dempster of a hit in the third inning. … Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein on struggling reliever Carlos Marmol: “I haven’t seen any signs of him backing down, so as long as he gives the effort and faces his challenges head on we’re going to support him and help him get where he needs to be to help us.” … Bourn extended his hitting streak to 12 games.

CLEVELAND—Alex Rios wasn’t seeking revenge against Cleveland closer Chris Perez.He got it anyway.Rios tripled home the go-ahead run in the 10th inning and the White Sox beat the Cleveland Indians 5-3 Tuesday night.On May 3, Perez retired Rios for the final out of a 7-5 win in Chicago and the excitable closer started pumping his fist and yelling. Rios took exception to it, thinking it was directed at him. After delivering to help the Sox win for only the second time in eight games, Rios said it was no big deal.

“It was just part of baseball,” Rios said. “I was just trying to hit the ball hard somewhere and it worked out pretty good.”

Perez (0-1) was peeved at losing. Asked if he was surprised by his outing, the normally genial reliever shot back,

“That’s a stupid question. This is baseball. I was never going to give up another run again? Come on. It’s baseball. I gave up two hits. We lost, It stinks, especially after we battled back. What are you going to do?”

The right-hander yielded a leadoff single to Paul Konerko, who was replaced by pinch runner Brent Lillibridge. After A.J. Pierzynski fouled out, Rios lined a ball over the head of second baseman Jason Kipnis that rolled all the way to the wall in right-center as Lillibridge easily scored.

“We didn’t say any words today,” Perez said. “I just made a bad pitch and he did what he’s supposed to do – hit it in the gap.”

Rios scored on a fielder’s choice, beating a throw home from Kipnis, who fielded a ground ball hit by Alexei Ramirez. Hector Santiago (1-1) pitched the ninth for his first career win and Addison Reed worked a perfect 10th for his second save – after new closer Chris Sale blew a 3-0 lead in the eighth.

“These guys didn’t fold,” manager Robin Ventura said. “They battled and did just a great job. That was a well-struck ball by Rios.”

Rios was in a 3 for 18 skid until getting two singles off starter Justin Masterson – and his second career triple off Perez. He also hit a walkoff grand slam off Cleveland’s closer Sept. 10. Perez allowed only one run over his previous 13 outings. Carlos Santana’s two-run single off Sale tied it at 3. Until then, Cleveland had been shut out on four hits by John Danks, who bounced back from consecutive poor starts to pitch well. Danks left after yielding singles to Casey Kotchman and Jack Hannahan to open the eighth. Hannahan’s ball fell just in front of left fielder Dayan Viciedo, who pulled up near the foul line. Sale got Johnny Damon to hit a slow roller to shortstop Ramirez, who booted it for an error, loading the bases. Kipnis grounded out to first, scoring Kotchman and Asdrubal Cabrera walked, reloading the bases. Santana then lined a ball right past Sale and into center field to tie it. It was Sale’s first outing since beating Cleveland 7-2 as a starter May 1. A reliever last year, he went 3-1 in five starts. Indians starter Justin Masterson made 27 pitches in the first inning, allowing five hits and falling behind 2-0.One run scored on a groundout by Paul Konerko and A.J. Pierzynski added an RBI single.Cleveland put a runner on third with no outs in the seventh, but Danks quickly got out of it. Masterson struggled to throw strikes, but kept Cleveland in the game. The right-hander allowed six hits and two runs over six innings, walking five. Pierzynski’s bases-loaded RBI groundout made it 3-0 in the seventh off reliever Dan Wheeler.

NOTES—Ramirez went 0 for 5 and is in a 3 for 24 slump. … Cleveland LHP Nick Hagadone struck out the side in the ninth, one day after earning his first career save. … When Hagadone and Tony Sipp saved both ends of a doubleheader Monday, it was the first time since the save became an official statistic in 1969 that two different Cleveland lefties did it in a twinbill. … In the first game, LHP Jose Quintana worked 5 2-3 scoreless innings, the longest scoreless stretch by a White Sox pitcher in his major-league debut since Jack McDowell’s seven scoreless in 1987

Jeff Samardzija helped the Cubs beat the Atlanta Braves 5-1  .Samardzija allowed five hits and a run in his 105-pitch outing, and he got plenty of support with home runs from Bryan LaHair, Ian Stewart and Geovany Soto as the Cubs the third time in four games. Samardzija walked two and struck out seven, giving up a solo home run to Jason Heyward in the second. LaHair drove Tommy Hanson’s first pitch of the bottom of the fourth high over the right-field wall for his eighth home run of the season. One pitch later, Stewart connected on his third — also to right — to make it 2-1.Atlanta threatened with one out in the seventh when Samardzija hit Heyward with a pitch and Tyler Pastornicky singled before pinch-hitter Eric Hinske lined to LaHair at first and he threw to second to double off Heyward and squash the rally.When Braves reliever Eric O’Flaherty hit David DeJesus with a two-out pitch in the bottom of the seventh, home plate umpire Chris Conroy warned both benches, prompting Gonzalez to come out of the dugout. Moments later he was ejected by Conroy.Tony Campana then beat out a bunt and Starlin Castro hit an RBI single to make it 3-1.Soto hit a two-run homer in the eighth off Chad Durbin. Hanson (3-3) gave up five hits and two runs in six innings. The loss was only the eighth in the past 26 games for the Braves. Demoted closer Carlos Marmol came in to pitch the eighth and walked the first two batters, eliciting a chorus of boos from the Wrigley Field faithful. Freddie Freeman lined out before a stolen base and Marmol wild pitch put runners at second and third. Brian McCann took a third strike for the second out and Marmol turned the boos into cheers by striking out Dan Uggla swinging. Marmol then came off the mound screaming, pounding himself on the chest.

NOTES—Matt Garza, slowed by a flu bug that has hit several players, is scheduled to return to the rotation Friday in Milwaukee. He was scratched from his start Sunday. … Heyward entered the game with a career .342 average against the Cubs and now has five home runs against them. … Braves CF Michael Bourn made two nice running catches, going over his shoulder to grab LaHair’s drive in the second and racing to left center to rob Soto of extra bases in the third. He also extended his hitting streak to 11 games with an infield hit to short in the third. … The Cubs hit back-to-back home runs for the first time since last August when Aramis Ramirez and Carlos Pena — neither of whom is still with the team — connected against Washington. … LaHair has now reached base in 25 consecutive games. … Game-time temperature was 56 and a light fog began rolling in during the late innings.

CLEVELAND— Zach McAllister pitched six innings for his first major league win as the Cleveland Indians roughed up a far-from-perfect Philip Humber in an 8-6 win Monday over the White Sox in the first game of a day-night doubleheader. McAllister, recalled from Triple-A Columbus to make his fifth career start, allowed just two earned runs and six hits.The Indians took their turn pounding Humber (1-2) , who hasn’t been sharp since pitching the 21st perfect game in major league history on April 21. Since then, he has allowed 20 runs in 13 1-3 innings and gone 0-2 with a no-decision.Michael Brantley and Casey Kotchman drove in three runs each for the AL-Central leading Indians. Travis Hafner homered and hit his first triple in nearly five years.

A long day at Wrigley Field ended with a walk home. David DeJesus drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the 11th inning to lift the Cubs to a 4-3 victory against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday. The victory came after the teams waited out a 2-hour, 41-minute rain delay, and a ninth-inning comeback by the Cubs.Darwin Barney led off the 11th with a double. Wellington Castillo was intentionally walked and pinch-hitter Jeff Samardzija was hit by a pitch to load the bases. On a 3-2 pitch, DeJesus drew the game-winning walk. With the Cubs trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the ninth, pinch-hitter Ian Stewart singled, and Dodgers closer Javy Guerra walked DeJesus. Tony Campana hit a tying double, but DeJesus, who would have been the winning run, was thrown out at home.It was Guerra’s third blown save in 11 chances. Rafael Dolis (2-2) got the win, while Jamey Wright (1-2) took the loss. Dodgers slugging center fielder Matt Kemp was a late scratch due to tightness in his left hamstring. He pinch hit in the seventh inning and flew out to right field.The Dodgers were in position early to win, thanks to Juan Rivera’s two-run homer in the third inning and a quality start from Aaron Harang. Rivera’s second home run of the year into the left-field bleachers gave the Dodgers a 3-0 lead that held up — until the ninth. Harang posted his best start of the season, going six innings and allowing two runs. He outdueled the Cubs’ Travis Wood, who allowed three runs in six innings in his first start of the season. Wood was called up from Triple-A Iowa to fill in for Matt Garza, who was suffering from the flu. Stewart was also out of the starting lineup due to illness. The Dodgers scored first in the second inning. Jerry Hairston reached on an infield single and A.J. Ellis and Tony Gwynn Jr. drew back-to-back walks, before Harang drove in a run on a forceout. The Cubs cut the lead to 3-2 in the bottom of the third when Wood led off with a double, DeJesus walked and Starlin Castro hit a two-out, two-run single. The Cubs had chances to tie it before the ninth, but could not deliver a clutch two-out hit. The Cubs left runners in scoring position in the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth — twice by Castro. The Cubs bullpen pitched five shutout innings, allowing just three hits. Cubs first baseman Bryan LaHair continued his torrid start to the season, going 3 for 4 and raising his batting average to .390. He has reached base in 24 straight games.

NOTES—The Cubs designated Blake DeWitt for assignment before the game to make room for Wood. … Dodgers INF Juan Uribe did not start for the fifth straight game with a sore left wrist. … Dodgers INF Jerry Hairston left the game with a strained hamstring after running out an infield single in the second inning.. The Cubs host Atlanta on Monday with Samardzija taking on Tommy Hanson. Meanwhile, the Dodgers return home to play San Francisco with Ted Lilly opposing Barry Zito.

PHILADELPHIA—Jrue Holiday busted out of a game-long slump with consecutive 3-pointers that stretched a one-point lead into seven and helped the 76ers beat the Bulls 89-82 on Sunday and take a 3-1 lead in their Eastern Conference playoff series.
“Don’t fear the consequences,” 76ers coach Doug Collins said.

It’s the top-seeded Bulls who suddenly fear elimination.Spencer Hawes scored 22 points and Holiday had 20 to put the Sixers one win away from joining the short list of eighth-seeded teams that have won a series against a No. 1 seed.Game 5 is Tuesday in the United Center.The short-handed Bulls played without Derrick Rose (torn ACL) and Joakim Noah (sprained ankle). Rose is out for the season and Noah is day to day for the rest of the series.In NBA postseason history, the eighth seed has won a first-round series against the No. 1 seed four times, including last season when Memphis eliminated San Antonio. Golden State (2007), New York (1999) and Denver (1994) also pulled off the rare feat.
“I’m not worried about it,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. “I’m just worried about the next game. We do have more than enough to win with.”
The Sixers won three straight playoff games for the first time since Allen Iverson fueled their run to the 2001 NBA finals.Holiday was sensational down the stretch after a rocky first 3½ quarters. He missed his first five 3-point attempts until he nailed one to make it 77-73. He hit another the next time down for a seven-point lead to the delight of a roaring sellout crowd.They were easily his biggest shots on a 7-of-23 night.He expects to hear the same noise in the next round.
“We have to play like it’s Game 7,” Holiday said. “We want to win in Chicago.”
The undermanned Bulls kept at it and refused to use playing without their two biggest impact players as an excuse. C.J. Watson, who scored 17 points, hit a step-back jumper to make it a two-point game.In a whistle-happy game, Holiday went to the line with 51 seconds left and made both for an 84-80 lead.Suddenly — and shockingly — the Sixers are a win away from taking a playoff series for the first time since 2003.Carlos Boozer had 23 points and 11 rebounds for the Bulls. Taj Gibson chipped in 14 points and 12 rebounds.Without a full roster, the Bulls barked at the refs, talked trash on the court and used every self-motivational tactic they knew to gain an edge on the Sixers. Noah, injured in Game 3, took charge on the bench as head cheerleader. Wearing a protective walking boot, he clapped, cheered and offered instruction in the timeout huddle. Noah was needed more on the court than as a de facto assistant coach.Boozer actively did his best to keep the Bulls in the game. He played through foul trouble to score 18 points through three quarters (matching his combined total for the first two games) and he fought for some of the tough rebounds Noah would grab.It wasn’t enough.The Sixers made 22 of 31 free throws to Chicago’s 11-for-14 effort. The Sixers only averaged 18.2 free-throw attempts this season.
“Bottom line, we’ve got to play better defense without fouling,” Boozer said. “You can’t cry about the referees. It’s the playoffs. If we could hold them to 17, 18 points in the fourth quarter, maybe we win that game.”
Iguodala played through right Achilles’ tendinitis to make so many impact plays for the Sixers. He halted a Bulls run in the third with a 3 for a 57-56 lead. Bad leg and all, he still soared for a thunderous dunk on the break in the first half for an eight-point lead. One of the worst fourth-quarter foul shooters in the NBA, Iguodala even made both with 26.6 seconds left.Game 4 lacked the electric atmosphere early that accompanies a postseason game because the Broad Street Run was routed in front of the sports complex. The Wells Fargo Center was barely half full by tip and the announced crowd of 20,142 needed time to warm up.By the time Holiday hit his 3s, the arena was going wild.His sharp shooting in clutch time came at the right time after a slow start.Holiday and Turner continue to befuddle Collins with their inconsistency. The under-25 starting backcourt followed a solid Game 3 with a combined 3 for 22 for eight points in the first half. Lou Williams, perhaps the league’s top reserve, failed to bail them out with a 2-for-10 effort in the game. Their struggles were a key reason the depleted Bulls kept the score tight even without their two stars.The Sixers crashed the boards early without Noah in the lineup and had 15 second-chance points in the half to grab a 10-point lead.Hawes hit the go-ahead 20-footer late in the fourth for the Game 3 winner and he continued his hot hand into Sunday. He had made seven of his first eight shots, including a 3-pointer right before the second quarter buzzer to send the Sixers into halftime with 44-42 lead.
NOTES—Boxer Bernard Hopkins, former NBA great Dolph Schayes, former Sixers great Julius Erving and actor Bill Murray,a Bulls Fan, attended the game…..Philadelphia last won a playoff series when it beat New Orleans in 2003…..The Sixers hold a 3-1 lead in a best-of-seven series for the first time since the 1984 East semifinals….76ers CEO Adam Aron said there was nothing the team could do about the start time.

ROSEMONT—Reggie Gray broke Etu Molden’s franchise record as the Rush (6-2) put away the Iowa Barnstormers (3-5) 61-50 Sunday afternoon at Allstate Arena.Scoring on the second and fifth offensive drives, Reggie Gray (5 catches, 110 yards, 2 TD) now holds the all-time Rush franchise record for all-purpose touchdowns with 74.

“There is nothing like breaking a record in front of your hometown,” stated Reggie Gray, a Morgan Park native.

Gray’s third quarter 34-yard record-breaking touchdown reception set the course for a strong second half. After two Iowa touchdowns sandwiched a Kelvin Morris 2-yard touchdown run mid way through the third quarter, the Rush eventually claimed the lead for good.WR Marquis Hamilton sparked the surge by sneaking past the Iowa secondary and hauling in his first catch of the evening, a 42-yard touchdown toss from Russ Michna. The ensuing kickoff resulted in two more points for when Iowa kick returner Marco Thomas crossed the goal line and returned back to the end zone where Jared Perry tackled him for the safety. The ability to receive another offensive possession right away wasn’t wasted as Terrance Turner (5 catches, 72 yards, 3 TD) scorched past the Iowa secondary to record the second 42-yard touchdown reception of the night, giving the Rush a 53-42 lead going into the fourth quarter.A 5-yard touchdown run by Iowa’s Rodney Filer would bring them to within 5 with 12:58 remaining in the game, but Iowa’s offense couldn’t crack the scoring column the rest of the way. A safety with :07 left in the game gave Iowa their only other points of the fourth quarter.Game MVP Michna (22-32, 369 yards, 5 TD) spearheaded the second half outburst, completing 10-12 passes which included two touchdown strikes of 42-yards.

“(Iowa) had a good plan for us,” mentioned Michna, “We put up a couple route conversions in the locker room at half and towards the end of the third quarter received some of the same looks we saw earlier in the game and converted them both.”

Methodical drives by the Barnstormers throughout the first three quarters allowed them to keep the game close. Six straight touchdown drives from the get-go gave Iowa the lead all the way into the 2:45 mark of the third quarter. Iowa QB J.J. Raterink (30-39, 358 yards, 4 TD) cruised along in the first half by throwing three touchdowns, two of which found All-Arena wide receiver Jesse Schmidt (13 catches, 194 yards, 3 TD).However, the Rush defense took advantage of Iowa’s dead last AFL ranking in sacks allowed by recording three sacks and forcing multiple hurries. Rush defensive end Xavier Brown led the team with two sacks and Pierre Walters chipped in with another.Other leaders of the game included Rush wide receiver Jared Perry who finished with 9 catches for 130 yards, while defensive back Vic Hall led the Rush defense with 10 tackles.Rush backup QB Luke Drone engineered points by rushing for a first quarter touchdown, throwing for a fourth quarter touchdown and completing a two-point conversion with a toss to kicker Mike Salerno (1-1 FG, 6-7 PAT).With their sixth win on the season, the Rush match three other teams for the most wins in the AFL. Next up is a trip to Arizona to take on the 6-2 Rattlers.