Derrick Rose scored 33 points, Luol Deng added 23 and the host Chicago Bulls beat the Atlanta Hawks, , in
95-83,Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Tuesday night to take a 3-2 series lead.

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Kamil Krzaczynski/European Pressphoto Agency

Taj Gibson had 11 points, all in the fourth quarter. Rose also scored 11 in the fourth as the Bulls outscored the Hawks, 26-15.

“Taj, man, he just doesn’t know how good he is right now,” Rose said. “Still young, still trying to learn the game, but he came in and did what he’s supposed to do.”

Game 6 is Thursday in Atlanta, and Chicago is one win from its first conference finals appearance since 1998, when Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen wrapped up their second championship three-peat.

“Play defense,” Rose said of what the Bulls need to do to clinch the series. “That’s our whole game plan is playing defense. Our offense will be there, but if we continue to help each other, rebound the ball and run, I think that we should be in good shape.”

The Bulls were in sync in the early going. They moved the ball and it paid off in drives or open jumpers, with Chicago hitting 13 of 23 shots to build a 32-21 lead.

Rose showed why he is the league’s youngest most valuable player, hitting 11 of 24 shots and finishing with 9 assists. It was a big improvement over Game 4 when he needed 32 shots to score 34 points.

“Just going hard,” Rose said of his performance. “My teammates, they set good screens. I was just trying to attack the basket, get fouled, shoot floaters, and tonight they were going in.”

That was enough to offset another strong performance by Atlanta’s Jeff Teague. Filling in for the injured Kirk Hinrich, he delivered his third 21-point game of the series.

Josh Smith scored 16 points for the Hawks, while Joe Johnson had 15 and Al Horford added 12 points and 10 rebounds.

PACERS RETAIN BIRD The Indiana Pacers announced Tuesday that they will keep Larry Bird as the team president. The Pacers made their first playoff appearance since 2006 this season in the final year of Bird’s contract.

BYNUM SUSPENDED 5 GAMES Lakers center Andrew Bynum has been suspended for five games next season for his flagrant foul on Dallas guard J. J. Barea in Los Angeles’s final playoff game.