INQUIRER Sports

CHICAGO -- An MRI exam on Monday showed Chicago Bulls guard Ben Gordon has only a strained left hamstring rather than a more severe injury, giving him a chance to play on Tuesday against Boston in the NBA playoffs.

Gordon suffered the injury during Chicago's 121-118 double-overtime triumph at home on Sunday, a victory that evened the best-of-seven Eastern Conference opening-round series at 2-2.

While his status for game five on Tuesday in Boston is in doubt, Gordon says he will play against the defending NBA champions even though he is listed as day-to-day.

Gordon scored 22 points, including a game-tying 3-pointer late in the first over-time that extended the game to another extra five-minute period. For the series, Gordon is averaging 24.8 points a game.