Three Eastern Conference playoff contenders went into Friday night with identical 35-29 records as they continued to tussle for spots five through seven in the standings.
NBA playoff picture: Hawks, Bulls move ahead of Celtics
The idle Boston Celtics dropped a half game in the Eastern Conference standings as Chicago and Atlanta both won on Friday night.
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The Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls both took care of business on the court while the Boston Celtics had to sit and watch as they dropped a half game behind them both. Atlanta welcomed Josh Smith back after the dynamic forward missed the previous game with a knee injury. Smith scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to push the Hawks past the Phoenix Suns, 107-94.
More: Peachtree Hoops Blog a Bull
Chicago shook off losses in the first two games of their current West Coast road trip to post a strong win over the Golden State Warriors, 113-95. The Bulls return home for their next game, a tough match-up against the Denver Nuggets. The Bulls continue to fight through injuries with a return by Derrick Rose still on hold and key contributors Kirk Hinrich and Taj Gibson also missing extended time.
Boston has a good chance to quickly make up that half game on Saturday night when they host the Charlotte Bobcats in advance of a big Monday match-up with the Miami Heat.
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