They're No. 8! Bulls beat Raptors to move into playoff position

Events of the past several days begged the question if anyone on the Bulls was serious about playing in the postseason.

The answer arrived Sunday at the Air Canada Centre. Joakim Noah definitely wanted to make the playoffs. Same for Derrick Rose.

Those two players led the Bulls to a surprisingly easy 104-88 victory over the Toronto Raptors in the battle to break the eighth-place tie in the Eastern Conference. The visitors held a double-digit lead for the entire second half.

Noah piled up an eye-popping 18 points, 19 rebounds and 7 assists. Rose added 26 points and 7 assists. Consider this Chris Bosh's free-agent recruiting pitch.

"I knew it was a really important game. I was really focused," Noah told reporters after the game. "I just wanted to go out there and impose my will as much as I could, just be aggressive offensively and defensively."

The Bulls (39-41) have a 1-game lead for eighth place with two remaining. But since the Raptors won the season series 2-1, the Bulls must win both of their final two games to clinch a playoff spot. The Bulls host Boston on Tuesday and visit Charlotte on Wednesday.

"We've still got a long way to go," coach Vinny Del Negro said. "We've got to refocus and get our energy back for Tuesday. Every game is like a playoff game for us."

Ben Gordon could make life easier for his old team with a good performance Monday night. Toronto must play the second leg of back-to-back games at Detroit, and Gordon heated up with 39 points at Miami on Friday. This also will be the Raptors' seventh game in 10 days, and playing without Bosh, their injured all-star, there may be much energy left.

If Toronto loses on Monday, the Bulls could then clinch a first-round date with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers by beating the Celtics, last year's playoff opponent, on Tuesday.

"It's been up and down, but as long as it's up, we've just got to keep it up here," Rose said of the Bulls' injury-filled season. "We've got two games left, and we've got to play every game like it's our last."

Toronto's only lead was 2-0. The Bulls went ahead by 12 early in the second quarter on a 3-pointer by Kirk Hinrich.

The Raptors had one good run in them, closing within 49-46 with three minutes left in the first half. The Bulls finished the second quarter on a 9-2 run to build a 58-48 lead at halftime.

Luol Deng opened the third quarter with a 3-point shot, and the Bulls quickly stretched the lead to 19. After Toronto got within 11, Rose scored 6 points on the next three possessions and the Raptors were done. Toronto never got closer than 16 in the fourth quarter.

"They were better than us, obviously," said Raptors coach Jay Triano, whose team was led by Sonny Weems and Andrea Bargnani with 18 points each. "They shot the ball much better."

<p class="factboxheadblack">Mike McGraw's game tracker</p>

<p class="News"><b>Dino stomp:</b> The Bulls must have taken all the frustration from an injury-plagued season and unloaded it on the Raptors, because Sunday's playoff showdown was a blowout. Toronto was never closer than 16 points in the fourth quarter.</p>

<p class="News"><b>Dynamic duo:</b> Center Joakim Noah was an inspiration, finishing with 18 points, 19 rebounds and 7 assists. Derrick Rose chipped in with 26 points and 7 assists. Toronto was missing all-star forward Chris Bosh, but the Bulls did take care of business.</p>

<p class="News"><b>Not over yet:</b> If the Raptors win their final two games (at Detroit, New York), the Bulls could still slip out of the playoffs with a loss against Boston or Charlotte. Watch Monday for a tired Toronto team against a Pistons squad craving redemption for a miserable season.</p>