Chicago ? Eddy Curry didn’t allow a sore hamstring to slow him down.

Curry scored 24 points in his return to Chicago’s lineup, and Ben Gordon added 17 in the Bulls’ 105-91 victory over Atlanta on Monday night.

Curry, the 6-foot-11 center who missed the Bulls’ previous three games because of a strained left hamstring, was 8-of-13 from the field and 8-of-9 from the line.

“It felt good just to be back,” Curry said. “I decided to take a little time off and get my leg right so when I came out there it wasn’t (any) kind of a handicap.

“It’s pretty sore right now. I know I have still a little ways to go before I get to where I want to be, but for the most part I felt pretty good.”

Kirk Hinrich added 12 points and 10 assists for Chicago, and Othella Harrington had 10 points.

The Bulls, who are in their first playoff race since 1998, also got Luol Deng back from the injured list. He missed 10 games because of a sprained right ankle.

“It was big to just to have those guys back,” Hinrich said. “We need those two guys if we are going to make the playoffs.”

Chicago is in sixth place in the Eastern Conference, a half-game behind Cleveland and a game in front of Indiana.

“It’s a lot of pressure, but at the same time it’s fun,” Curry said. “We have a chance to do something special for Chicago, and we are not taking that for granted.”

Chicago's Kirk Hinrich, right, knocks the ball away from Atlanta's Josh Smith during the second quarter of the Bulls' 105-91 victory. Hinrich scored 12 points, and the Bulls won Monday in Chicago.

Josh Smith led the Hawks with 16 points, Al Harrington had 15, and Tyronn Lue added 14 points and eight assists. The Hawks, an NBA-worst 11-55, have lost five straight and 18 of their last 19 games.

Chicago led for most of the game, but Atlanta stayed within single digits until the Bulls pulled away in the fourth quarter.

Leading 86-79 with 9:05 left, the Bulls went on an 8-0 run. Curry scored six points in the stretch, including a layup that made it 94-79 with 5:27 left.

“We couldn’t get the lid off the basket for a minute until later in the fourth quarter and it hurt us,” Smith said.

Knicks 88, Spurs 75

New York — Malik Rose knocked down a pair of 18-foot jumpers to complete a 14-0 run to start the fourth quarter, getting a measure of revenge against the team that traded him last month.

Rose had 18 points — his most since joining the Knicks 10 games ago — and seven rebounds against the team with which he spent the past 71/2 seasons.

Rose was making his first start for the New York Knicks because Kurt Thomas was sidelined because of an infected elbow.

Stephon Marbury scored the Knicks’ final 14 points of the third quarter and finished with 31 points and 10 assists.

Bobcats 102, Magic 97

Charlotte, N.C. — Brevin Knight hit a running jumper with 12.4 seconds to play to help Charlotte end a 10-game losing streak.

Knight finished with 19 points, eight assists and three steals, and Emeka Okafor had 17 points and 13 rebounds for the expansion Bobcats.

Grant Hill led Orlando with 25 points, and Dwight Howard, the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft, had 21 points and 13 rebounds.

The Magic played without Steve Francis, who was suspended three games by the NBA on Monday for kicking a photographer last week.

Mavericks 103, Hornets 86

Dallas — Dirk Nowitzki had 25 points and eight rebounds, and rookie Devin Harris added a season-high 17 points as Dallas beat New Orleans in Avery Johnson’s second game as the Mavericks’ head coach.

The Mavericks have won both games since Johnson took over for Don Nelson on Saturday and have victories in five of their last six overall.

Michael Finley added 16 points, and Josh Howard had 15 for Dallas.

Clippers 96, Trail Blazers 89

Los Angeles — Elton Brand and Corey Maggette each scored 22 points as Los Angeles beat Portland. The Clippers had a season-high 13 blocks — six off the franchise record. Bobby Simmons had 15 points for Los Angeles, which reached the 30-win mark for just the fourth time in the last 12 seasons.