BASKETBALL: Chicago Bulls win fifth time in a row

By Game Yetu

DJ Augustin scored 25 points Saturday night, Joakim Noah had 21 points and 12 rebounds, and the Chicago Bulls turned a possible first-round playoff preview into a rout, never trailing in a 96-78 win over the Washington Wizards.

Augustin made 6 of 11 3-pointers and Carlos Boozer added 16 points for the Bulls, who have won five straight and are battling the Toronto Raptors for the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. Augustin has averaged 19.8 points during the winning streak. John Wall scored 20 points, and Marcin Gortat had 19 for the Wizards, who sit in sixth place in the East.