Bulls earn startling victory

Suddenly, it’s a series.

Ben Gordon scored 28 points and the hot-shooting Bulls beat Detroit, 108-92, Tuesday night in Game 5 of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals, pulling to 3-2 in the series.

“We just aren’t ready to go home yet,” Bulls center Ben Wallace said.

Detroit once led the series, 3-0, including routs in the first two games.

“A lot of people were writing us off,” Gordon said. “But we had a lot of confidence in ourselves and I think that showed in the last two games.”

Game 6 is Thursday night at Chicago.

Chauncey Billups said it’s fair to say Detroit relaxed.

“I can’t say we did that intentionally, but it’s human nature when you get that kind of a cushion to let up a little bit,” he said. “Our team, as you know, is not that good with cushions. Unfortunately, we’ve done that time and time again and have had to go on the road to win.”

Chicago, which never trailed, only missed one of its first seven shots while holding Detroit to three-of-nine shooting in building a 14-6 lead.

The Bulls made 72.2% of their shots in the first half, falling just short of an NBA record.

“It’s tough to shoot 70% with no one guarding you in an empty gym, much less doing it in that kind of pressure situation,” Pistons Coach Flip Saunders said. “Having a team shooting like that is demoralizing.”

Despite the sensational shooting, Chicago led by only eight at halftime.

The Bulls turned the game into a rout with a 22-5 run in the third quarter and led by 21 going into the fourth.

Chicago, which finished shooting 57%, made more shots (26) in the first half and scored only 10 fewer points than it did in all of Game 1.

Luol Deng scored 20 points, Kirk Hinrich had 17 and P.J. Brown scored a playoff-high 15.

Billups scored 17, Richard Hamilton had 16 points and Rasheed Wallace added 15, but the trio combined to make only 16 of 42 shots.

“We need a sense of urgency,” Saunders said.

Utah 100, Golden State 87 --

Andrei Kirilenko had 21 points, 15 rebounds and three steals to help the Jazz reach the conference finals for the first time since 1998 by ending the Warriors’ surprising postseason run with a 4-1 victory in their series.

The high-scoring Warriors were outscored, 23-14, in the pivotal fourth quarter.

Carlos Boozer added 21 points and 14 rebounds and Derek Fisher scored 20 points for the Jazz.

Baron Davis, who avoided a suspension for a Game 4 elbow against Fisher, led Golden State with 21 points and eight assists.