NBA Daily Blog: Bulls win overtime thriller vs the Heat at home 96-86.

Richard Hamilton dribbles against Dwayne Wade

Photo ©NBA/Bulls.com

The Chicago Bulls take the victory in overtime against the Miami Heat in a battle of the two best teams in the East at the United Center 96-86. The Bulls outscore the Heat 12-2 in the overtime period and have clinched the Central Division title for the second straight year. Chicago (45-14) now has a 4 game lead over Miami (40-17) in the race for the top seed out in the East.

Carlos Boozer led the Bulls with a double-double 19 points and 11 rebounds. Kyle Korver added 17 points on 5-6 shooting from 3 point range coming off the bench. C.J. Watson who sent the game into overtime with a clutch three pointer with 2.2 seconds remaining in the 4th quarter finished with 16 points, 9 assists and 3 steals. Luol Deng also scored 16. Taj Gibson added 11 points together with tough defense alongside Omer Asik. Derrick Rose struggled scoring only 2 points on 1-13 shooting but was able to dish out 8 assists.

LeBron James led the Heat with 30 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Dwayne Wade added 21 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Chris Bosh finished with 20 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks.

In Charlotte, the Detroit Pistons came up with a blow out victory over the Charlotte Bobcats at the Time Warner Cable Arena 109-85. Greg Monroe led the Pistons with a double-double 25 points and 11 rebounds. Rookie Brandon Knight added 21 points and 7 assists. Jason Maxiell scored 17. D.J. Augustin and Derrick Brown led the Bobcats with each scoring 13. D.J. White scored 12 coming off the bench.

In Minneapolis, the Los Angeles Clippers came up with a 13 point victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center 95-82. Blake Griffin led the Clippers with a double-double 19 points, and 13 rebounds. Caron Butler scored 17. Mo Williams added 14 points and 5 assists. Randy Foye scored 11. Nick Young scored 10. Chris Paul dished out 8 assists with 8 points. DeAndre Jordan pulled down 12 rebounds. The Timberwolves with the loss have been knocked out of playoff contention and were playing without Kevin Love due to the concussion he suffered in the previous game in Denver were led by Nikola Pekovic with 17 points. Anthony Randolph added 16 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks coming off the bench. Michael Beasley finished with a double-double 14 points and 10 rebounds. J.J. Barea finished with a double-double 10 points and 11 assists. Martell Webster also scored 10.

In San Antonio, the San Antonio Spurs bounce back and win against the Memphis Grizzlies at the AT&T Center 107-97. Tim Duncan led the Spurs with a double-double 28 points and 12 rebounds. Manu Ginobili added 20 points and 6 rebounds off the bench. Tony Parker finished with 13 points and 9 assists. Danny Green scored 10. Rudy Gay led the Grizzlies with 19 points. O.J. Mayo added 16 points and 6 assists off the bench. Marreese Speights scored 15. Marc Gasol finished with a double-double 14 points and 10 rebounds. Mike Conley scored 11. Zach Randolph also finished with a double-double 10 points and 11 rebounds.

In Oakland, the Dallas Mavericks take the win over the Golden State Warriors at the Oracle Arena 112-103. Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavericks with 27 points. Jason Terry and Brandan Wright both coming off the bench each scored 16. Vince Carter scored 12. Rodrigue Beaubois scored 11. Jason Kidd had a near triple-double 9 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists. Shawn Marion pulled down 12 rebounds with 7 points. David Lee led the Warriors with 30 points and 8 rebounds. Rookie Klay Thompson finished with 24 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists. Nate Robinson added 10 points and 6 assists.

STANDINGS AS OF 4/13/12 (13:12 PHT)

WEST:
1. Thunder (nw) 42-16, 2. Spurs (x) 41-16, 3. Lakers 37-22, 4. Clippers 36-23, 5. Grizzlies 34-24, 6. Mavericks 33-26, 7. Rockets 32-26, 8. Nuggets 32-26, 9. Jazz 31-28, 10. Suns 30-28, 11. Trail Blazers 28-31, 12. Timberwolves (o) 25-35, 13. Warriors (o) 22-36, 14. Kings (o) 19-40, 15. Hornets (o) 16-42 

EAST: 
1. Bulls (c) 45-14, 2. Heat (x) 40-17, 3. Pacers 36-22, 4. Celtics 34-24, 5. Hawks 34-24, 6. Magic 34-24, 7. 76ers 31-27, 8. Knicks 30-28, 9. Bucks 28-30, 10. Pistons (o) 22-36, 11. Nets (o) 21-38, 12. Cavaliers (o) 19-37, 13. Raptors (o) 20-39, 14. Wizards (o) 14-44, 15. Bobcats (o) 7-50

K-Smoove