TURKEY BOUND - Noah’s double-double helps Bulls dominate Raptors in crunch game

TORONTO (2010 FIBA World Championship) – Chicago’s Joakim Noah showed once again on Sunday why France are desperate to have him in their line-up at the FIBA World Championship in Turkey later this year.

Noah scored 18 points and grabbed 19 rebounds as the Bulls hammered Toronto, 104-88.

The Bulls, who also got 26 points from Team USA hopeful Derrick Rose, leapfrogged Toronto into the eighth and final play-off spot in the Eastern Conference with the triumph.

Noah joined France for the early part of last summer and competed in friendlies but did not receive permission by Chicago to play in Additional Qualifying Round games for the EuroBasket, or in the Final Round in Poland.

Having missed 10 games with plantar fasciitis earlier this season, Noah looks to have fully recovered and now has an excellent chance of playing post-season basketball with the Bulls.

"I just wanted to go out there and impose my will as much as I could, just be aggressive offensively and defensively,” he said.

“It was a huge win and I just wanted to make sure that our team played harder than their team."

Toronto played without their injured Team USA center Chris Bosh, who is expected to sit out of the rest of the Regular Season as he recovers from surgery on a broken nose.

Turkey international Hedo Turkoglu had 19 points, nine assists and three steals to go with his six points for the Raptors.

His former teammate with Orlando, USA center Dwight Howard, had 22 points, 13 rebounds and six blocked shots to lead the Magic past Cleveland, 98-92.

Cleveland, who have clinched the Eastern Conference title, gave LeBron James the night off.

Luis Scola of Argentina will be at the FIBA World Championship.

He had 30 points and eight rebounds but his Houston Rockets fell to Phoenix, 116-106.

LaMarcus Aldridge is in the USA national team squad for 2010-12. He had 24 points and 11 rebounds for Portland in a 121-118 victory at the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Blazers moved into sixth place ahead of San Antonio with the triumph.

Pau Gasol of Spain finished with 23 points and 12 boards for the Lakers, who got 20 points from Team USA’s Kobe Bryant.

Team USA hopeful Kevin Durant’s 40 points and 10 rebounds weren’t enough for Oklahoma City as the Thunder fell to Golden State, 120-117.

FIBA