CHICAGO, March 21 (Ticker) -- If Eddy Curry's availability was a game-time decision, it was a good one to have him suit up.

Curry scored 10 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter as the Chicago Bulls improved their playoff standing with a 105-91 victory over the hapless Atlanta Hawks.

NBA TV highlights from Hawks-Bulls: 300k

The 22-year-old Curry, Chicago's leading scorer, has been bothered by a left hamstring strain which kept him out of the last three contests. His participation in this one was in question until tip-off approached.

"I am just at a point right now where I can just play," Curry said. "I am just trying to go and help the team anyway I can."

Curry made his 6-11 presence felt in the final quarter, when the Bulls were able to pull away from the Hawks, who have lost 18 of their last 19 games.

With the Bulls leading, 86-79, with 9:06 remaining, Curry scored eight points in a 10-1 burst. The Hawks helped by not scoring from the floor for 5:45 until a layup by Tyronn Lue at the 3:51 mark.

"My teamates make my job easy they just got me the ball and anytime they do that it leads to easy buckets," Curry said.

"In the fourth quarter, we just couldn't get the lid off the bucket for a few minutes and they got away from us," Hawks rookie Josh Childress said. "All we can do is keep fighting."

Rookie Ben Gordon scored 17 points for Chicago (34-31), which moved within one-half game of Cleveland for fifth place in the Eastern Conference and one game ahead of seventh-place Indiana.

"It was a good win. Right now, any win is a good win," Bulls coach Scott Skiles said. "We have put ourselves in a positon where wins mean something."

"At this point you have to be aware of the position," Curry said. "We know we are a good enough team to take that fifth spot."

The Bulls also clinched their first season series victory over the Hawks since the 1997-98 season, the last time they reached the postseason.

Kirk Hinrich collected 12 points and 10 assists in 31 minutes but sat out the entire fourth quarter when he tweaked his hamstring late in the third period.

Childress scored 17 points and Al Harrington added 15 for the Hawks. Both sat out the previous game - Harrington with a sore back and Childress with the flu.

"Our young guys are trying to figure it out right now, and the losing is getting frustrating," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said. "They have to realize that losing is something you can never accept."