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NBA Today - April 25
Wed, Apr 25, 2007
By Associated Press


Golden State at Dallas (9:30 p.m. EDT). The Warriors have won six straight games overall against the top-seeded Mavericks. Oddsmakers have the Mavs listed as 9 1/2-point favorites with the total set at 209 1/2.

STARS Tuesday

- Chris Bosh, Raptors, had 25 points and 13 rebounds in Toronto's 89-83 win over New Jersey.

- Ben Gordon and Luol Deng, Bulls. Gordon scored 27 points and Luol Deng added 26 to lead Chicago over Miami 107-89.

- Leandro Barbosa, Suns, scored 26 to match a career playoff high for the second game in a row and give Phoenix a 126-98 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

TWO EASY

The Suns ended a streak of five losses in Game 2s, including one at home against the Lakers a year ago by beating Los Angeles 126-98 Tuesday night.

TWO SOON

Chicago beat Miami 107-89 Tuesday night for a 2-0 lead over the defending NBA champions in their series. Home teams that have taken the first two games in a best-of-seven series have gone on to advance 95 percent of the time, but the Heat and Bulls have bucked that trend recently. Miami dropped the first two games at Dallas in last year's finals, then won four straight. Two years ago, the Bulls opened with two wins at home over Washington but lost the next four.

TIED UP

Raptors beat the New Jersey Nets 89-83 Tuesday night to even their first-round series at a game apiece.

SEATTLE CHANGE

Seattle SuperSonics owner Clay Bennett on Tuesday fired coach Bob Hill and removed Rick Sund as general manager following a 31-51 season that was Seattle's worst since finishing the 1985-86 season with an identical mark. Sund, with one-year remaining on his contract, will remain with the franchise as a consultant.

SPEAKING

''We got a better chance to get hit with lightning than to win the game,'' Golden State coach Don Nelson, whose Warriors upset Dallas 97-85 Sunday.