Morning Hardwood: Bouncin' Back and Rollin' Along

A quick look back at Thursday night in The Association ...

An Excellent Stress Reliever. One night after being slapped around by Shaq and his cronies, the Bulls grabbed the Magic and squeezed for an easy 100-76 win. Ben Gordon and Kirk Hinrich combined for 42 points, including seven bombs from behind the arc. However, this game was such a yawner that Tiger Woods -- a golfer! -- left his courtside seats at halftime never to return. And oh, yeah, I can't name names, but reputable sources tell me that four or five Magic players were seen reading the FireBrianHill.org website immediately following the game. I'm just saying...

I've Got Ma-News For You ... He's pretty good. Manu Ginobili scored 31 points, including five 3-pointers, to continue the Spurs' "we're on fire" streak in a 100-93 win over the Artest-less Kings. Bili -- we should call him that -- dropped 16 in the fourth quarter, which he has been known to do recently. The Spurs have now won 11 straight. Kevin Martin had 26 points and 12 rebounds in the loss. Note: He's been fantastic on my fantasy team this year, and I wish him nothing but the best in life ... and a few more steals this week.

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