PHOENIX—A trip to the desert was enough to get the Bulls back on track.Carlos Boozer had 19 points and 12 rebounds, and the Bulls snapped the Phoenix Suns’ five-game winning streak with a 101-92 victory on Tuesday night.The Bulls shot 45 percent from the field and had five players score in double figures, bouncing back from an ugly 99-70 loss at Sacramento on Monday. The Bulls shot 28 percent and were outrebounded 53-30 against the Kings.One night later, it was a completely different story.

“You could have used an excuse if you chose to do so, but that’s what I love about the team,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. “They come out and they’re going to fight. They picked themselves up and did it together and you could tell in the first quarter the commitment to get back, the commitment to get to put their bodies in front of people and take charges, make hustle plays, make effort plays.”

Jimmy Butler and D.J. Augustin had 18 points apiece for the Bulls, who won for the fifth straight time in Phoenix. Joakim Noah, who was ejected in the third quarter of the loss at Sacramento, had 14 points and 14 rebounds.The Bulls (24-24) had dropped three of four, including an 88-79 loss at New Orleans on Saturday.

“We got punched in the mouth in New Orleans, we got punched in the mouth in Sacramento and we just wanted to come out and compete for 48 minutes as a team,” Noah said.

The Bulls kept the Suns’ prolific offense in check, holding them 13 points under their average even though Phoenix (29-19) was coming off two days’ rest. Boozer didn’t play for much of the fourth quarter as the Bulls went mainly with Taj Gibson as an interior defender, but his teammates did damage on offense down the stretch.Augustin had three fourth-quarter 3-pointers to help keep the Bulls in front. Noah also had a couple of key baskets in the final period.Butler’s 3-pointer with 4:43 to play gave the Bulls an 89-80 lead, but Goran Dragic hit a 3 and Leandro Barbosa, playing extended minutes with sharpshooter Gerald Green struggling, drove for a layup to cut the lead to 89-85.Then Butler and Noah came up with back-to-back baskets, and the Suns’ rally fizzled.Dragic, the reigning Western Conference player of the week, led Phoenix with 24 points. It was the guard’s fifth straight game with 20 or more points.Channing Frye had 18, and Barbosa scored nine of his 13 in the fourth quarter.

“We gave up so much easy stuff,” Dragic said. “We didn’t bring it, no energy and we didn’t do smart plays. They did not let us run our actions. They were denying our big guys. It was just hard to pass and cut.”

Down 13 points in the third quarter, the Suns went on a 13-4 run to close to 50-46 on Dragic’s driving layup at the 9-minute mark. The Bulls went up by 11 on a follow by Boozer, but the Suns cut the lead to 60-55 on a pair of Dragic free throws with 4:36 left.Mike Dunleavy scored eight of his 11 points in the third quarter, helping the Bulls carry a 69-63 lead into the fourth.The game started with a brisk pace, but the Suns missed more shots and had more turnovers in what turned out to be an offensively deficient first quarter. So low that the 13 points for Phoenix was its lowest total in a first quarter this season.

“That’s the difference of a team that really gets after it defensively and makes it tough on all the shots,” Suns coach Jeff Hornacek said. “They took us out of our stuff but we let them do whatever they wanted.”

Boozer had eight points and five rebounds to help the Bulls to a 21-13 lead after one.

NOTES—Noah was fined $15,000 by the NBA for verbally abusing officials after he was ejected Monday in Sacramento. Noah started Tuesday night’s game. “I never thought it warranted suspension, so it was probably appropriate,” Thibodeau said. “He got fined for cursing.” … Noah has 22 double-doubles and Boozer 15 this season. Suns players Markieff Morris, Dragic and Green were assessed technical fouls. … The Suns never led on Tuesday after being in front for all but 1:59 of the 192 total minutes of the previous four games. … Suns guard Eric Bledsoe missed his bobblehead night with a right knee injury. … A bird got into the US Airways Center seating bowl during the second quarter and flew a lap around the court and into the upper deck before finding its way out.

CHAMPAIGN—Sam Dekker and Ben Brust scored 16 points apiece Tuesday and Wisconsin ended a two-game losing streak with a 75-63 win at Illinois.Traevon Jackson and Nigel Hayes had 14 each for Wisconsin (18-5, 5-5 Big Ten).The loss extended the misery for Illinois (13-10, 2-8). The Illini have lost eight straight. That streak started with a 95-70 blowout by the Badgers in Madison on Jan. 8.Wisconsin’s biggest edge was from 3-point range. The Badgers were 10 of 23. Illinois was just 4 of 10 on 3-pointers.Four of Wisconsin’s 3-pointers were Dekker’s. They included a pair over the final three minutes that kept the Illini at arm’s length. The last of them made the score 66-57 with 2:38 to play and gave the Badgers a comfortable edge.Rayvonte Rice led Illinois with 24 points and nine rebounds.The 3-pointers were the biggest difference, turning what had been a game of one- and two-point leads for much of the first half.But the Badgers were also effective from the free throw line, and they were efficient in getting there. Wisconsin hit 80.8 percent of their free throws, going 21 for 26.Jackson, Frank Kaminsky and Josh Gasser gave Wisconsin the edge on the boards. Between them they had 22 of the Badgers’ 31 rebounds.The only answer for Illinois, short on big men with experience, was Rice. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard leads the Illini in rebounding with 5.8 per game coming in. His nine boards were nice, but Illinois had just 25 on the night.Wisconsin was the team that started Illinois losing streak. The Badgers buried the Illini with a 20-0 run on the way to 95-70 blowout back on Jan. 8 in Madison, and Illinois hasn’t come closer to a win than a pair of six-point losses since then.But the Badgers have struggled since then, too, losing five of six and falling out of The Associated Press Top 25.The chances for Illinois to end the streak were there but those opportunities slipped away.Down 49-46 with just over 10 minutes to play, Illinois stopped the Badgers on three straight possessions and couldn’t score on any of them.Rice clanked a 3-point attempt off the rim on the first, Joseph Bertrand settled for a circus shot from under the rim on the second and Jon Ekey turned the ball over to Nigel Hayes on the third.Brust sank two free throws and the Badgers again had breathing room, 51-46 with 7:56 to play.Early in the game Illinois hung with the Badgers and traded leads.After he tied the game at 23 with a free throw, Jackson urged his team to play a little defense.

”Let’s get a stop!” he yelled as the Badgers set up under their own basket.

And after a single free throw from Tracy Abrams, they did. A bunch of them, in fact.The Badgers used a 9-0 run late in the first half to put some space between themselves and Illinois.Dekker opened it with a long 3-pointer with 3:36 left in the first half that drew some oohs from the crowd and Rice ended it with a jumper just over two minutes later. Wisconsin was up 33-26.Heavy snow fell in Champaign Tuesday night, keeping the sparse crowd quiet much of the night.

LOS ANGELES—Patrick Kane learned of his grandfather’s death shortly before game time, and he handled the pain in the only way he could imagine.By playing his heavy heart out.Kane had two goals and an assist, Nick Leddy had a goal and an assist, and the Blackhawks snapped their recent slump with a 5-3 victory against the struggling Los Angeles Kings on Monday night.After scoring goals early and late in his first three-point game since Dec. 28, Kane choked up in the dressing room while thinking about his grandfather, Donald, who lived next door during his childhood in Buffalo.

“Just a tough day overall,” Kane said. “He was one of my great friends growing up. Just a really sad day. It was important to get the win, but any time you get someone taken away from you that’s so close to you, means so much, it’s tough to hear that right before the game, for sure.”

Kane pointed skyward after his first goal 1:02 into the game, coming out of the corner and beating U.S. Olympic teammate Jonathan Quick during a power play.

“You think about it a couple of times on the bench, but I was just trying to focus on the game tonight,” Kane said. “Just play well for him, I guess.”

Joel Quenneville didn’t learn about Kane’s extra burden until early in the game. Kane’s teammates praised him for his poise while mourning his loss.

“He’s a proud guy, and I think his grandfather meant a lot to him,” Quenneville said. “It was probably an emotional night for him, but he played an unbelievable game.”

Kane had plenty of help.Marcus Kruger scored the tiebreaking goal on a double deflection in the second period for the defending Stanley Cup champions. Bryan Bickell also scored and Corey Crawford made 31 saves as the Hawks swept the three-game season series between last season’s Western Conference finalists.Kane warmed up for Sochi with his first multigoal game since Dec. 14, while Canadian Olympic counterparts Patrick Sharp and captain Jonathan Toews picked up two assists apiece for the Blackhawks, who had lost five of six. Leddy contributed his first goal and first multipoint game since Dec. 23.With the victory and Anaheim’s loss to Columbus, the Blackhawks pulled within three points of the Ducks for the overall NHL lead.Anze Kopitar had a goal and two assists in Los Angeles’ highest-scoring performance since Jan. 21. Drew Doughty and Tyler Toffoli also scored, and Jonathan Quick stopped 25 shots in the Kings’ ninth loss in 10 games.

“Tonight, energy-wise I think, was our best night in a while,” Kings captain Dustin Brown said. “We’ve got to just keep plugging along. I know it’s a broken record, but we’re not going to get out of it by doing anything different. … There’s definitely frustration. If you’re not frustrated in this room, there’s something wrong with you.”

Although the Kings scored more than one goal for the first time in seven games, it wasn’t enough to beat the NHL’s highest-scoring team, which had lost two of three on its six-game road trip heading into the Olympic break. Los Angeles had scored just three total goals in the last six games heading into this meeting of the NHL’s last two champs.

“I think that we have a couple of guys that are frustrated with their own games,” Kings coach Darryl Sutter said. “They’re having a hard time right now, whether it’s the schedule or just where they’re at with their own games. That’s something they need to deal with themselves, for sure.”

The Kings got off to a horrific start yet again: Kane scored after Doughty took a charging penalty 24 seconds after the opening faceoff.Bickell then scored on a slick pass from Kane, but Doughty kept it close with his eighth goal on a one-timer moments later. His goal was the first by any Kings player except Kopitar in nearly two weeks.Kopitar evened it with a flip of a bouncing puck on a 3-on-1 rush, for his 17th goal, but the Hawks went back ahead when Leddy’s shot from the point deflected off Kruger’s blade and smacked Kings defenseman Matt Greene’s stick, popping over Quick’s shoulder.After Leddy scored with 12:59 to play, Sharp set up Kane’s second goal moments later.

SACRAMENTO—DeMarcus Cousins had 25 points and 16 rebounds to help the Sacramento Kings snap a seven-game losing streak by defeating the Bulls 99-70 on Monday night.Cousins, the Kings’ leading scorer and rebounder, missed the previous six games with a sprained ankle. Cousins came out aggressive, getting 11 points and seven rebounds in the first quarter when the Kings led 24-12 and never trailed the remainder of the game.Jimmy Butler had 17 points for the frustrated Bulls, who have lost two straight and three of four. Tony Snell and Taj Gibson each had 11 points. The Bulls were outscored 28-13 in the fourth quarter.Joakim Noah had four points and four rebounds before being ejected in the third quarter when he picked up two technical fouls in less than three minutes. The second technical came after Noah was called for a foul against Cousins at the 7:40 mark.Isaiah Thomas had 19 points for the Kings, who stretched the lead to 20 points four minutes into the fourth quarter. Rudy Gay had 14 points and Jimmer Fredette had all of his 11 points in the fourth quarter.The Bulls shot 28 percent and was outrebounded 53-30 in losing back-to-back games for the first time since mid-December. The point total was a season-low for a Kings’ opponent.Fredette made jumper and Ben McLemore followed with a basket, giving Sacramento an 84-62 lead at the 7:15 mark of the fourth quarter.Before Monday morning’s shootaround, Bulls power forward Carlos Boozer talked with the media regarding his displeasure with coach Tom Thibodeau’s tendency not to play him in the fourth quarter, when the minutes typically go to Gibson. Boozer had four points in 21 minutes Saturday in a loss to New Orleans.Against the Kings, Boozer had eight points and nine rebounds in 35 minutes, including seven in the fourth quarter.Cousins was dominant in the low block, scoring 12 points in the third quarter when Sacramento built its lead to 71-57. The physical play continued in the quarter, where three technicals were called and every foul seemed to be followed by complaints.Thomas scored 15 first-half points for the Kings, who led 44-33. The Bulls shot 24 percent in the opening half and trailed 24-12 after one quarter. The 12 points was the second fewest this season by a Kings’ opponent.

NOTES—Quincy Acy made a 3 to end the first quarter, his first 3-pointer in 27 games with the Kings. Acy, who came to the Kings in a trade this season with Toronto, had two 3s with the Raptors. … Cousins got called for his 12th technical of the season in the third quarter. … The Bulls made 22 of 34 free throws (64.7 percent)

ROSEMONT—Markel Starks scored 26 points and Georgetown continued its mastery of DePaul, winning 71-59 on Monday.D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera added 17 and Jabril Trawick had 15 for the Hoyas, who were coming off a 64-60 upset win Saturday in New York over then-No. 7 Michigan State. That victory came after a stretch of five straight losses and defeats in the Hoyas’ last six of seven.Georgetown (13-9, 4-6 Big East) also prolonged its dominance of the Blue Demons, topping DePaul for the second time this season and 14th straight time overall. The 14 consecutive wins are the most for one Big East team against another, and DePaul hasn’t beaten Georgetown since Jan. 22, 1994.The Hoyas didn’t take their first lead until an Aaron Bowen 3-pointer with 14:43 remaining in the second half, but then took their first double-digit advantage with 6:26 left at 56-44, part of a 10-0 run. That was aided by DePaul’s shooting, which was 32.1 percent during the second half.Starks, Georgetown’s leading scorer who had 21 points during the Hoyas’ 61-54 win over DePaul on Dec. 31, went just 6 for 18 from the floor but hit three 3-pointers and 11 of 14 free throws. After shooting 4 for 24 in his previous two games, No. 2 scorer Smith-Rivera was 3 for 11 but 3 for 6 during the second half of a game the teams combined to attempt 67 free throws.Monday’s game was the start of a stretch of games for Georgetown mostly against teams struggling in conference play. On Saturday they face Butler, then after playing Providence, the Hoyas visit St. John’s and Seton Hall.The Hoyas got off to a slow start. DePaul took a 30-27 lead into the break and led by as much as nine, holding Georgetown to 30 percent shooting from the floor. That included the Hoyas making just one of their first 13 shots.Brandon Young led DePaul with 15 and Billy Garrett Jr. had 12 as the Blue Demons (10-13, 2-8) lost their fifth straight.DePaul’s R.J. Curington was named the Big East’s Rookie of the Week. He scored a career-high 22 points during the Blue Demons’ 77-72 loss Sunday to Providence, and had 10 against Georgetown.The Blue Demons were once again without leading scorer Cleveland Melvin due to suspension. Melvin, who came into Monday as the Big East’s seventh-leading scorer at 16.7 points per game, is suspended indefinitely and missed his third straight game.DePaul did get back guards Garrett (illness) and Charles McKinney (ankle) after each missed two games. Neither started, but Garrett entered with 17:06 left in the first half while McKinney checked in with 11:45 remaining.

SYRAC– USE—Trevor Cooney has hit shooting touch back — just in the nick of time for top-ranked Syracuse.Cooney scored a career-high 33 points, matching a school record with nine 3-pointers, and the Orange beat Notre Dame 61-55 on Monday night in another matchup of former Big East foes.After struggling to a woeful 25.4 percent (14 of 55) from behind the arc in his first seven Atlantic Coast Conference games, Cooney has hit 11 of 13 in the past two games and was the difference against the Irish as the Orange’s front line faltered.Syracuse (22-0, 9-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), which moved to No. 1 this week after its scintillating 91-89 overtime victory over Duke on Saturday night and Arizona’s loss to California, extended its school record for most consecutive wins to start a season. Notre Dame (12-11, 3-7) has lost seven of nine.Two days after one of the most emotional wins in Jim Boeheim’s 38 years as head coach, Syracuse played its first game as the nation’s top team since the 2011-12 season. Two years ago, the Orange were unbeaten and ranked No. 1 when they went to South Bend, and Notre Dame upset them 67-58.It was the eighth time Notre Dame had beaten a No. 1 team and turned out to be Syracuse’s lone loss of the regular season.

”That was in the back of my mind,” said C.J. Fair, who had a season-low six points on 2-of-13 shooting after scoring a career-high 28 against Duke. ”I didn’t want that to happen again.”

Cooney made sure there was no repeat, hitting five 3-pointers in the first half as the Orange gained a 13-point halftime advantage, then barely held the Irish at bay in the second half.

”We put ourselves in position to make it interesting,” Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said. ”We came into this game, and especially if you watch what they did to Duke, beating them up in the paint. You really try to take stuff away in the paint. I thought overall with the guys that destroy you in the paint we did a good job. But we couldn’t do a good job on Cooney. Seven of the nine I think we challenged. He was just in one of those zones, and you’ve got to take your hat off.”

Cooney, 9 of 12 from long range, matched the record set by Gerry McNamara in the 2004 NCAA tournament and equaled by Andy Rautins in 2008 and James Southerland in 2012.Jerami Grant and Fair, who combined for 54 points against Duke, combined for just 15, while Tyler Ennis found little room in the lane to penetrate and finished with six points and eight assists.Garrick Sherman led Notre Dame with 16 points, Steve Vasturia had 13, and Pat Connaughton 11, while Eric Atkins had nine on 3-of-10 shooting.

EAST RUTHERFORD—Defense wins championships, and the NFL has not seen a defense like Seattle’s in a long time.The Seahawks won their first Super Bowl title Sunday night in overpowering fashion, punishing Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos 43-8. That relentless defense, the NFL’s stingiest, never let the five-time MVP get going, disarming the highest-scoring offense in league history.Seattle (16-3) was too quick, too physical and just too good for Denver, and that was true in all areas. What was hyped as a classic matchup between an unstoppable offense and a miserly defense turned into a rout.Punctuating Seattle’s dominance were a 69-yard interception return touchdown by linebacker Malcolm Smith to make it 22-0, and Percy Harvin’s sensational 87-yard kickoff runback to open the second half.When the Seahawks, up by 29 points, forced a Denver punt early in the third quarter, the 12th Man — and there were legions of them in MetLife Stadium — began chanting “L-O-B, L-O-B.”  As in Legion of Boom, the Seahawks hard-hitting secondary.The loss by the Broncos again raised questions about Manning’s ability to win the biggest games. He is 11-12 in the postseason, 1-2 in Super Bowls. He never looked comfortable against a defense some will begin comparing to the 1985 Bears and 2000 Ravens — other NFL champions who had runaway Super Bowl victories.Seattle forced four turnovers; Denver had 26 all season.The Seahawks looked comfortable and at ease, and not just their defense, which lost All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman to an ankle injury in the fourth quarter.Russell Wilson, who has an NFL-record 28 wins in his first two pro seasons, including playoffs, had a 23-yard TD pass to Jermaine Kearse late in the third quarter to make it 36-0.Wilson also hit Doug Baldwin for a 10-yard score in the final period in what had become one of the most lopsided Super Bowls. For the fifth time in six meetings between the NFL’s No. 1 offense and defense, the D dominated. Only Denver in 1990, when it lost in the biggest romp in Super Bowl history, 55-10 against San Francisco, failed with the top defense.Denver fell to 2-5 in Super Bowls, and by the end many of Manning’s passes resembled the “ducks” Sherman said the All-Pro quarterback sometimes threw.The victory was particularly sweet for coach Pete Carroll, who was fired in 1994 by the Jets, led the Patriots for three seasons and again was canned. After a short stint out of coaching, he took over at Southern California and won two national titles.But he always felt there was unfinished business in the NFL. Carroll finished that business by lifting the Vince Lombardi Trophy, four years after taking charge in Seattle and eight years after the Seahawks lost in their only previous Super Bowl to Pittsburgh.No Super Bowl had been played outdoors in a cold-weather city before — not that the Big Apple was anything close to frozen Sunday, with a 49-degree temperature at kickoff. And no Super Bowl has started more bizarrely.Things went sour for Manning and the Broncos from the very first scrimmage play, and by halftime they were down 22-0 — their biggest deficit of the season and the only time they didn’t score in a half.On that first play for the Broncos, Manning stepped up toward the line just as center Manny Ramirez snapped the ball. It flew past his incredulous quarterback into the end zone, where Knowshon Moreno dived on it for a safety.A mere 12 seconds in, Seattle led 2-0 with the quickest score in Super Bowl history, beating the Bears Devin Hester’s kickoff return to open the 2007 game — against Manning’s Colts.That one ended much better for Manning as Indianapolis won the championship. This one was a fiasco throughout, dropping Manning to 11-12 in the postseason.Steven Hauschka, who missed only 2 of 40 field goals entering the game, made a 31-yarder for 5-0 and a 33-yarder for 8-0 after Doug Baldwin toasted 15-year veteran cornerback Champ Bailey, in his first Super Bowl, for 37 yards on third down.Then the Seahawks began scoring touchdowns.Manning’s third-down pass to Julius Thomas sailed way too high and directly to safety Kam Chancellor, giving the Seahawks the ball at Denver’s 37. Harvin, finally healthy after a virtually wasted first season in Seattle, sparked the short drive with a 15-yard burst, and a third-down pass interference call on Tony Carter gave Seattle the ball at the 1.Marshawn Lynch scored to make it 15-0.Then Smith, with a play emblematic of the best defense the NFL has seen in years, made his second huge play in two weeks.Cliff Avril got to Manning’s arm as he was throwing, the ball fluttered directly to Smith, who took off down the left sideline for a 69-yard interception TD.Manning trudged to the sideline, a look of disgust on his face.That look didn’t improve when, after a drive to the Seattle 19, his fourth-down pass was tipped by Chris Clemons and fell harmlessly to the Meadowlands turf.So did Denver’s reputation as an unstoppable force.

SAN JOSE—Blame “Beavis” Bettman if you want since he introduced the Shootout to the NHL. The Blackhawks,though have been awful in ‘extra time'(Overtime and Shootouts) all season, and it’s the reason they only lead St.Louis by one point in the Central Division, and trail Anaheim by five points in the Western Conference.After struggling to score any goals for four games, the San Jose Sharks had plenty of moves left for a shootout.Joe Thornton capped San Jose’s perfect shootout with a nifty toe-drag past Corey Crawford that helped the Sharks snap a three-game losing streak with a 2-1 victory over the Blackhawks on Saturday night.Joe Pavelski scored a short-handed goal in regulation and opened the shootout with a goal, and Patrick Marleau also scored in the tiebreaker for the Sharks, who have won six straight shootouts. Former Hawk Antti Niemi made 29 saves and stopped Patrick Sharp in the second round of the shootout.After Pavelski and Marleau scored in the first two rounds of the shootout, Thornton ended it when he dragged the puck around Crawford and knocked it in the empty net. Thornton has scored on all three shootout attempts this season after not even attempting one the previous three seasons.

“Not making a save in the shootout was the only thing that bothered me,” Crawford said. “We played well and we had our chances to win, a couple of chances late. Our guys were doing a great job of not allowing many second chances.”

The teams traded goals early in the third during a Hawk power play with Brad Stuart off for hooking Patrick Kane.Pavelski got the scoring started with a short-handed goal after a bad breakout pass from Sharp. Scott Hannan quickly sent the puck back to Pavelski, who knocked the pass down, skated past Duncan Keith and beat Crawford high for his 29th goal.Just over a minute later, Saad answered late in the power play after Justin Braun failed to clear the puck from the defensive zone. Kris Versteeg fed Saad, who beat Niemi for his 18th goal. That was the Hawks third power-play goal in two games after having just one the previous seven.Crawford kept the game tied when he made a pad save at the goal line on a one-timer by Stuart, and the Blackhawks killed a late penalty to force overtime. San Jose is 0-for-16 on the power play the past six games.The game was scoreless after two periods despite both teams getting quality scoring chances but were unable to get past either Niemi or Crawford.Kane hit a post early in the first period for the Hawks, and Dan Boyle got robbed by the crossbar later in the first for San Jose.Niemi made a strong pad save to rob Ben Smith in the first period and withstood a couple of frantic flurries near his net in the second. Niemi also was helped when Marian Hossa missed the net off a nice setup by Saad during a power play late in the second period.The Sharks put 22 shots on net against Crawford in the first two periods, generating heavy pressure during a second period power play for too many men on the ice. But Crawford was up to the task. San Jose was attacking at the end of the second, and Marleau had a prime chance when he batted a puck from midair in the slot toward the net in the closing seconds.

“It was a playoff type atmosphere,” Versteeg said. “Time and space were virtually non-existent and that’s when you need to play smart.”

NOTES—Michal Handzus returned to San Jose for the first time since being dealt to the Blackhawks last March.

NEW ORLEANS—After a nice win in San Antonio Wednesday, the Bulls, are back to the .500 mark after turning in a blah performance in the Big Easy.Anthony Davis isn’t saying if he feels snubbed by being left off the All-Star roster. He’s making his statement on the court.Davis continued his torrid play by scoring 24 points and grabbing eight rebounds to lead the New Orleans Pelicans to an 88-79 victory over the Bulls on Saturday night.He also blocked six shots, bringing his total to 21 in his past three games. For the third consecutive game he scored at least 22 points and blocked six shots. The Pelicans said he is the first player to do that since November 1990, when Patrick Ewing did it in four consecutive games for the New York Knicks.Davis punctuated his performance with a monster jam early in the third quarter, an effort worthy of the Slam Dunk Contest that will be held as part of All-Star weekend in New Orleans. He played Saturday nursing a finger injury that kept him out of one game.Tyreke Evans added 11 points for the Pelicans, who have won four of their past five.D.J. Augustin led the Bulls with 23 points in his return to his hometown. He was 8 of 17 from the field and handed out seven assists.Taj Gibson added 17 points and Joakim Noah had 14 points and 16 rebounds. Noah has 10 or more rebounds in 18 straight games, the longest streak of his career.Carlos Boozer was held to four points, tying his lowest point total of the year. He had scored in double figures in his past 12 games.

”I think [family and friends in attendance] will be happy for me, but I’m not happy that we didn’t get the win,” said Augustin, who attended a local high school until Hurricane Katrina forced him to finish his senior year in Texas. ”I’m just going to be happy to see them and give them a hug and a kiss.”

Davis’ dominance effectively shut down the middle for the cold-shooting Bulls, forcing them to rely on their outside offensive and creating fast-break opportunities for the Pelicans. The Bulls shot 38.6 percent from the field, making 27 of 70 attempts, and were 3 of 16 on 3-point attempts and 22 of 33 on free throw attempts. They also committed 17 turnovers.

”We were coming from behind most of the time,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. ”We got away from the basket in the missed free throws and we just turned the ball over. ”

The Pelicans dominated in the paint, outscoring the Bulls 50-34.New Orleans led 50-39 at the half and 71-57 after three quarters. The Pelicans led by as many as 16 in the fourth quarter and maintained a double-digit lead until the final minute. The Bulls were held to 18 points in each of the second and third quarters.The Pelicans raced to a 50-39 halftime lead behind Davis’ nine points and three rebounds. Augustin scored 17 points in the half on 5-of-8 shooting, but as a team the Bulls were 12 of 31, including 2 of 7 on 3-pointers.The Pelicans outscored the Bulls 10-2 on fast-break points and 26-12 in the paint.The Pelicans took control in the opening minutes of the second quarter, going on a 12-2 run to take a 35-23 lead with 7:20 remaining. At one point the sloppy Bulls committed three of their seven first-half turnovers on consecutive possessions, which New Orleans turned into seven unanswered points. The Pelicans led by 13 on three occasions.Eric Gordon scored the Pelicans’ first seven points but failed to score the rest of the half and finished with nine points on 4-of-15 shooting.

NOTES—Players wore red-and-white warm-up shirts in honor of Black History Month, which is celebrated during February. … Davis ended January with 51 blocks, more than three teams had combined. Davis sat out the Pelicans last game with a finger injury. … The Pelicans blocked 14 shots and have blocked at least 10 shots in three of their past four games.

CHAMPAIGN—Gabriel Olaseni had 15 points and 12 rebounds and No. 15 Iowa overcame Illinois’ furious comeback to pull out an 81-74 victory Saturday night.The Hawkeyes (17-5, 6-3 Big Ten) led by 21 points just over 12 minutes into the game and were battering the Illini with their bench and Big Ten-best rebounding.Illinois (13-9, 2-7) fought its way back and took a 62-61 lead on a 3-pointer by Tracy Abrams with 10:18 left in the game.But Iowa stayed close and took the lead for good at 72-70 on a bucket by Mike Gesell with 3:50 to play.Joseph Bertrand scored 20 points and Rayvonte Rice added 13 for Illinois, which lost its seventh straight game.Roy Devyn Marble led the Hawkeyes with 17 points and Aaron White added 14.