Bulls halt road woes, beat Pacers

 

INDIANAPOLIS—Derrick Rose figured the only way to get over the Charlotte loss was to take care of Indiana.The point guard needed to shake off his poor shooting and his team’s poor defensive effort against the Bobcats, and he responded with 29 points and a season-high 10 rebounds in a 99-86 win over the Pacers on Friday night.The Bulls led Charlotte 80-75 with eight minutes to go on Wednesday night before falling apart defensively in the closing minutes. Rose was focused on creating a different outcome against Indiana.The Bulls held the Pacers to 33 percent shooting.Rose shot 5-for-17 from the field against the Bobcats, but 11-for-21 against the Pacers. He scored 20 points in the second half against Indiana.Luol Deng had 17 points and five assists,Carlos Boozer scored 14 points and Kurt Thomas had a season-high 18 rebounds for the Bulls.Danny Granger scored 22 points for the Pacers, but he shot 4-for-17 in the first three quarters when the game was in doubt while being guarded primarily by Deng.Mike Dunleavy scored 13 points and Jeff Foster had a season-high 15 rebounds for Indiana, which failed to notch its first three-game winning streak of the season.The Bulls led 53-41 at halftime.The Bulls extended their lead to 60-46 on a 3-pointer by Rose. Indiana trimmed its deficit to nine points and had a fast break going, but Brandon Rush missed everything on a hurried 3-pointer, and Taj Gibson converted a 3-point play on the other end to make it 66-54. On Chicago’s next possession, Rose made a 3-pointer and was fouled, prompting MVP chants from the thousands of Bulls fans who made the short drive. He completed the four-point play to push the lead to 70-54.Indiana surged again, and a jumper by Granger made it 70-61. But the Bulls responded with a 7-0 run to re-establish control for good. Rose scored 12 points in the third quarter to help the Bulls lead 79-63 at the end of the period.The Bulls led by 14 in the final minute when the half-filled arena, with mostly Bulls fans remaining, gave the visitors a standing ovation.The Bulls shot 46 percent and committed just seven turnovers.Indiana heads into a four-game road trip on a negative note.The Bulls return home Saturday night to host Miami,not knowing if LeBron James’ sprained ankle will allow him to play or not.

NOTES—Keith Bogans committed two fouls in the first 1:44 of the game…..Indiana F Josh McRoberts played four minutes after O’Brien sat him for four games while using other players. McRoberts began the season as the starter, but Hansbrough started his fifth straight game at power forward…..Deng was issued a technical foul with 8:08 left in the second quarter…..Several Miami players dined at Gibsons Downtown Friday night while the Bulls were playing the Pacers on TV.