Nikola Mirotic scored 14 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter and the Chicago Bulls clinched a playoff berth with a 98-86 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night.
Pau Gasol added 27 points and 12 rebounds to pick up his 47th double-double of the season for Chicago, which won for the third time in four games after a 1-5 stretch.
The Bulls gained a half-game on idle Cleveland for first place in the Central Division and now sit three games back. They moved within percentage points of idle Toronto for the third seed in the Eastern Conference.
Jimmy Butler scored 19 points in the win and Aaron Brooks had 13 points and 10 assists.
Kemba Walker scored 29 points to lead the Hornets, who fell to 2-6 since a season high-tying five-game winning streak. They finished 1-4 on a five-game road trip and fell a half-game behind Boston for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Mo Williams added 15 points in the loss and Gerald Henderson scored 11.
NBA Scoreboard
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Houston 110, Indiana 100
Boston 110, Brooklyn 91
Memphis 103, New York 82
Minnesota 106, Utah 104 (OT)
Golden State 107, Washington 76
