It wasn't supposed to be this easy but the Philadelphia 76ers are out prove they are among the best of the East. On Wednesday night, they made a believer out of Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau. Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young scored 19 points apiece to pace five team-mates in double figures as the Sixers stifled the visiting Bulls 98-82 in a showdown of division leaders. Jrue Holiday netted 17 points, Lavoy Allen had 15 and fellow-reserve Lou Williams finished with 14 for the Atlantic Division-leading Sixers (16-6), who have strung together impressive back-to-back home victories after holding the Orlando Magic to 65 points Monday. Reserve CJ Watson scored 20 points and Derrick Rose had 18 for the Bulls, who were without injured starters Luol Deng and Richard Hamilton dropped to 1-2 on their grueling nine-game road trip. Magic 109, Wizards 103: Dwight Howard had 23 points with 18 rebounds while Ryan Anderson also scored 23 and the Magic snapped a season-high four-game slide by beating the visiting Wizards, who received 24 points from Nick Young. Celtics 100, Raptors 64: Paul Pierce led five players in double figures with 17 points and the Celtics routed the visiting Raptors for their seventh win in the last eight games. LA Clippers 107, Jazz 105: Chris Paul scored 12 of his season-high 34 points in the final quarter, and Blake Griffin added 31 with 14 rebounds as the Clippers snapped a string of 16 consecutive losses to the Jazz in Utah since last winning there in january 2003. Nets 99, Pistons 96: Deron Williams scored 26 points, Kris Humphries added 18 and the Nets handed the visiting Pistons their seventh straight loss. Thunder 95, Mavericks 86: Russell Westbrook scored six of his 33 points in the final two minutes, Kevin Durant had 23 points with 13 rebounds and the Thunder dealt the reigning NBA Champion Mavericks their second loss in the last eight games in a prestigeous showdown of Western Conference powerhouses. Other results: Bucks 105, Heat 97; Pacers 109, Timberwolves 99; Suns 120, Hornets 103; Spurs 99, Rockets 91; Trail Blazers 112, Bobcats 68. — DPA __
