Bulls 100, Hawks 94

CHICAGO - A familiar veteran made the big plays for the Chicago Bulls with the game on the line.

Scottie Pippen gave the Bulls the lead for good with a late layup and then took a charge at the opposite end of the court to lift the Bulls to a 100-94 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night.

``He came in at a point when we were wavering and he righted the ship,'' Bulls coach Bill Cartwright said. ``He got us back on track. The game changed when Pip was in.''

Eddy Curry scored 22 points, and Tyson Chandler had 13 and tied a career-high with 22 rebounds for Chicago.

``It's just natural instinct for me,'' Pippen said. ``I'm just out playing and hopefully they are learning and watching, being a part of it. We are going to continue to grow together and come together as a team.''

Chandler was fouled after grabbing his final rebound, and he made a free throw to give the Bulls a 88-87 lead with 3:25 left.

Jason Terry tied it at 90 with a 3-pointer with 1:47 left, before Pippen took over for the Bulls. Pippen drove hard to the basket to give Chicago a 92-90 lead and then took a charge on the opposite end.

On the next Bulls' possession, Curry dunked over Theo Ratliff to give the Bulls a 94-90 lead with 1:04 left.

Pippen had 12 points, nine in the fourth quarter and Jalen Rose scored 14.

``I saw a look of determination on Pippen's face,'' Atlanta coach Terry Stotts said. ``He knew how important this game was for him. He took it upon himself to win.''

Stephen Jackson had a breakaway dunk to give the Hawks a 56-54 lead with 7:08 left in the third quarter. The Hawks went on a 12-2 run in the fourth quarter, capped by Terry's 3-pointer that gave Atlanta an 85-82 lead with 4:54 left.

Terry scored 24 points and Jackson had 17 for the Hawks.

Kendall Gill made a 3 to give the Bulls a 22-6 lead in the first quarter, their largest lead of the game. The Hawks missed their first 13 shots.

``I knew we couldn't start the second half the way we started the game, so we turned it up offensively and got some stops,'' Terry said.

Terry cut the Bulls' lead to 44-41 with 1:08 left in the first half on a pair of free throws. Dion Glover scored 10 points for the Hawks in the first half. Curry scored 10 points for the Bulls, and Chandler added six points with 15 rebounds.

Chandler missed the opener with a sore back and was welcomed back by his teammates.

``It was all Tyson. He's been bringing it all week, even when he was out, he keeps practice fun,'' Curry said.

Glover finished with 14 points.
Notes: The Bulls honored former general manager Jerry Krause at halftime. The Bulls hung a banner with his name next to Phil Jackson's in the rafters. Krause was the general manager during the Bulls' run of six championships in the 1990's.