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Final Score: Chicago 101 - Cleveland 98

Cleveland, OH (Sports Network) - Ben Gordon scored 24 points and hit several clutch free throws down the stretch, to lead the Chicago Bulls in a 101-98 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena.

Larry Hughes poured in 25 points, dished out nine assists and hauled in eight rebounds against his former team, as the Bulls won for the second time in three contests and sit five games behind idle Atlanta for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Luol Deng and Andres Nocioni each gave 15 points, while Joakim Noah had 10, but Chicago only has a flickering chance at making the playoffs as the Bulls have just seven games remaining and also have to leap over New Jersey and Indiana.

LeBron James scored 33 points for the Cavs, who saw their two-game win streak vanish. They rest 5 1/2 games behind Orlando for the third spot in the Eastern Conference playoff push. Zydrunas Ilgauskas ended with 23 points. Delonte West had 11 points and Wally Szczerbiak 10 in defeat.

Gordon had Chicago's final seven points of the contest. The Bulls cut their deficit down to two, at which point Gordon was fouled by West while shooting a three. Gordon hit 3-of-3 from the line to give the Bulls a 99-98 lead, the clubs first advantage since the opening moments of the game, with 1:42 left in regulation.

Neither team could muster any points on their next few possessions and eventually Gordon missed a three-pointer. Anderson Varejao snagged the board and gave the Cavs some hope with 24.9 ticks left.

James brought the ball up, drove to the hoop but missed on the shot from the left baseline. Hughes grabbed the rebound and passed the ball to Gordon, who was fouled and hit 2-of-2 for the 101-98 Chicago lead with 3.4 seconds showing on the clock.

The Cavs had one last shot. The ball was passed inbounds to James, who used a touch pass to find a wide open Daniel Gibson, but his shot clanked off the back of the rim as time expired.

"The play was [designed] to get me open and take the shot," James said. "But without hesitation I saw a [Bulls defender] leaving Boobie and he was wide open so it was the best shot we could have got. It was a great look."

The clubs played to a 26-26 tie after 12 minutes of basketball.

The Cavs held a 55-45 advantage at the break, thanks to Ilgauskas' 15 first- half points.

Four free throws from James put the Cavs up 63-51 with just under 8 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter.

The teams traded baskets until two James buckets and a layup from Devin Brown gave Cleveland a 78-61 lead.

Hughes answered with a three-pointer that sparked a 16-4 Chicago run. Hughes scored the first seven points on the surge and Nocioni closed it out with a three that pulled the Bulls as close as five points.

"Larry can do a lot of things out there," Chicago head coach Jim Boylan said. "This was probably the best game he's had since he's been with us. He showed his versatility."

James hit a three that gave the Cavs an 85-77 cushion heading into the final stanza.

A Gordon jumper was the first in a series of six unanswered Bulls points that brought Chicago within 89-85 with 9 1/2 minutes left in the game.