DETROIT—Justin Verlander struck out A.J. Pierzynski and headed toward the dugout, and his team’s head trainer saved the ball for him. It was his 1,000th strikeout.Verlander pitched seven impressive innings through a misty rain, and Ryan Raburn drove in four runs to lead the Tigers over the White Sox 9-3 on Friday night. Verlander reached his milestone with his eighth strikeout of the game – against his final batter before he left after seven innings.Verlander (2-2) allowed four hits, including two home runs by Carlos Quentin and another by Paul Konerko. He didn’t walk a batter.Raburn hit a two-run homer for the Tigers, who have won seven straight over the White Sox.The Sox have lost eight of nine overall. Mark Buehrle (1-2) went 5 2/3 innings, allowing six runs and eight hits. He struck out five and walked two. Detroit scored two runs each in the second and third, and Verlander retired the first 11 batters before Quentin hit his first of two long home runs, an estimated 427 feet over the left-field wall.Verlander breezed through spring training with a 0.96 ERA, determined to avoid another rough start after enduring difficult Aprils in past years. He threw 117 pitches Friday, laboring only after Detroit had taken a big lead.The start of the game was delayed 12 minutes because of rain, but that didn’t seem to bother Verlander. He struck out Juan Pierre to begin the night, and Detroit broke through early against Buehrle. After Miguel Cabrera singled in the second, Jhonny Peralta hit a triple past a diving Alex Rios in right-center. Peralta scored on Brennan Boesch’s sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.Raburn’s homer in the third doubled the lead.Rain was clearly visible up near the light fixtures in the third and remained throughout the rest of the game, although it was never hard enough for another delay.Alex Avila’s RBI double in the fourth made it 5-1, and Avila doubled and scored on a single by Casper Wells in the sixth.Quentin led off the seventh with his sixth homer of the season, this one a 409-footer. Konerko followed with a shot to left that might have gone just as far had it not hit the pole to make it 6-3. Verlander recovered and eventually struck out the last two batters of the inning, getting Pierzynski swinging for No. 1,000.Joaquin Benoit pitched the eighth for the Tigers, and Detroit added three more runs in the bottom of that inning on an RBI double by Wells and a two-run single by Raburn.

NOTES—Although the save situation was long gone, closer Jose Valverde worked the ninth. It was Quentin’s 11th career multihomer game….Cabrera made a diving stop on Omar Vizquel’s grounder behind first base and flipped the ball to Verlander to end the top of the sixth…..Quentin has 24 hits this season, 17 of which went for extra bases.

Juan Uribe needed just three games to make up for an awful start to his first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers.Uribe hit a two-run homer, Andre Ethier extended his major league-best hitting streak to 19 games and the surging Dodgers beat the Cubs 12-2 on Friday.Pinch-hitter Marcus Thames added a two-run drive in the ninth as Los Angeles set season highs for runs and hits (14). Matt Kemp and Ethier reached base three times apiece, and A.J. Ellis contributed two hits and two RBI.Uribe also had a run-scoring single in the Dodgers’ six-run third inning and a sacrifice fly in the sixth, giving him nine RBI in his last three games and 12 this year. He is batting .435 (10 for 23) in his last six games after opening the year in a .143 rut (7 for 49).Chad Billingsley (2-1) made the most of all that run support, pitching into the seventh inning in his second straight solid start. He also capped Los Angeles’ biggest inning of the year with an RBI single for his first hit in 2011.The Dodgers have won five of six, including three straight since Major League Baseball seized control of the team. Commissioner Bud Selig told owner Frank McCourt on Wednesday he will appoint a representative to oversee all aspects of the business and the day-to-day operations of the club.Darwin Barney hit an RBI single for the Cubs, who have scored four runs or fewer in each of their last four games. Kosuke Fukudome, batting leadoff for the sixth time this season, had three singles and walked.Los Angeles grabbed control in the third and chased Casey Coleman (1-1). Ethier had an RBI single, Ellis drove in two with a base hit to center and Jerry Sands’ bases-loaded walk forced in another run.Ethier went 1 for 2, walked twice and scored. The All-Star right fielder is batting .417 (30 for 72) with two homers and 10 RBI during his career-best hitting streak.Coleman was booed as he walked off the mound after Billingsley’s two-out hit made it 6-0. The 23-year-old right-hander issued four of the 10 walks and yielded six hits in the shortest of his 11 major league starts.Billingsley gave up two runs — one earned — and seven hits in 6 1/3 innings, improving to 3-0 in his last three starts against the Cubs. He was coming off a masterful outing against St. Louis when he struck out 11 over eight shutout innings in a 2-1 victory.Before the game, Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said he is operating under the same budgetary guidelines he had before Selig’s announcement and he reports to owner Frank McCourt until an administrator is appointed.The Dodgers have been consumed by infighting since Jamie McCourt filed for divorce after 30 years of marriage in October 2009, one week after her husband fired her as the team’s chief executive.All the turmoil off the field doesn’t seem to be affecting the team.

NOTES—The start of the game was delayed for 1 hour, 14 minutes due to rain. … Thames has two pinch-hit homers this season and seven in his career. … The Dodgers activated RHP Vicente Padilla from the 15-day DL. Padilla had surgery on his right arm in February to free up a nerve that was trapped by a muscle. He takes the roster spot of RHP Ramon Troncoso, optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque on Thursday, and will work out of the bullpen. …Andrew Cashner played catch for the first time since he was sidelined by a strain in the back of his right rotator cuff. He estimated he made about 30 or 40 throws, including some from 60 feet. “Everything was good,” he said. Cashner is expected play catch again Saturday.

VANCOUVER—Marian Hossa wasn’t sure if the Blackhawks have gotten back in Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo’s head. But they are back in their series with the Canucks. Defenseman Duncan Keith had two goals and two assists and the Blackhawks stayed alive in their Stanley Cup title defense, routing Vancouver 5-0 on Thursday to cut the Canucks’ lead to 3-2. Marian Hossa, with his first two goals of the series, chased Luongo early in the second period as the Blackhawks have bounced back impressively after losing the first three games of the series. Since then, the Hawks have dominated a Canucks team that it eliminated from the last two playoffs, outscoring them 12-2.Patrick Kane also scored his first goal of the first-round series for the Blackhawks, who return home for Game 6 on Sunday night looking to become the fourth team in NHL history to overcome a 3-0 series deficit. Corey Crawford had 36 saves for his first playoff shutout. Vancouver no longer looks like the team that won the Presidents’ Trophy with the best regular-season record. But there are lots of similarities to the squad that was knocked out the last two years while falling apart defensively. Luongo, pulled in the third period of Game 4 after giving up six goals, didn’t make it through the second period this time. He was pulled after giving up his fourth goal on 12 shots 1:26 into the second period, but it didn’t make a difference. Cory Schneider was beaten by the first shot he saw, Keith’s point blast through traffic, the second like that for the defender.The Hawks played a second straight game without rugged defenseman Brent Seabrook, who sustained a concussion when he was shouldered in the head by Raffi Torres in Game 3, a blow the Blackhawks felt deserved a suspension. They rallied behind Seabrook’s absence — and Torres presence — in Game 4, and again Thursday, with Seabrook’s normal defensive partner, Keith, leading the way. After Crawford robbed Alex Burrows on an early power play, Hossa, who only had one assist in the series, walked untouched into the high slot late in a Hawk advantage and snapped a shot past Luongo’s glove 5:54 into the game.Keith doubled the lead 17 seconds later with a screened point shot, and a power-play point shot was tipped in by Kane — his first goal of the series — for a 3-0 lead six minutes after that. Hossa ended Luongo’s night on a breakaway early in the second period, and Keith added his second goal — and fourth in three games.Canucks captain Henrik Sedin was quick to point out his team was still up 3-2 in the series. It just didn’t feel that way to anyone watching the last two.

NOTES— This is the 18th time the Blackhawks have lost the first three games of playoff series, but the first time the Blackhawks have battled back to force a Game 6….Crawford also had an assist, his second of the series, giving him more points than several key Canucks forwards….Vancouver made roster adjustments from Game 5, with Aaron Rome in for Keith Ballard, an apparent healthy scratch, as the sixth defenseman….C Cody Hodgson was back on the third line, and Torres was dropped down to the fourth line in place of LW Victor Oreskovich.

INDIANAPOLIS—Derrick Rose struggled all game long, but still found a way to be the difference-maker in the end. Rose scored 23 points, including the go-ahead layup with 17.8 seconds left, to help the the Indiana Pacers 88-84 on Thursday night and take a 3-0 lead in their first-round series.Rose’s late basket was his only field goal in the second half. He made just 4-of-18 shots as he was blanketed, and at times pummeled, by Indiana’s Paul George and Dahntay Jones. He made up for it by making 13-of-15 free throws. Rose averaged 37.5 points in the first two games of the series. Luol Deng had 21 points and Kyle Korver added 12 for the Bulls. Indiana’s Danny Granger had a chance to win it at the end, but he missed a 3-pointer in the closing seconds. He led the Pacers with 21 points. Rose, guarded by Jones, drove left for a layup with 17.8 seconds remaining to give the Bulls an 86-84 lead and spark “MVP!” chants from the thousands of Bulls fans who made the 3-hour drive. The Pacers went for the win, but Granger’s 3-pointer was off, and Ronnie Brewer rebounded. He was fouled, then made two free throws with 1.1 seconds left to put the game out of reach. The Pacers, who lost double-digit leads in both of the first two games, led by five points in the fourth quarter on Thursday and couldn’t hold on.Indiana took a 68-65 lead on a layup by Jones with just over 10 minutes to play. His fadeaway jumper over Korver bumped Indiana’s lead to 70-65.Rose tied the game with two free throws, then gave the Bulls a 72-70 lead with two free throws after he drove and drew Indiana center Roy Hibbert’s fifth foul. Korver followed with a 3-pointer to push the Bulls lead to 75-70 with 7 minutes to go.Indiana closed within 75-74, but Korver struck again with a 3 to increase the Bulls lead to 78-74 with six minutes left. A baseline jumper by Granger tied the score at 84 with 1:42 remaining to set up the frantic ending. The Pacers went up 46-45 early in the second half on two free throws by George. A layup by Darren Collison put Indiana up 50-47 as he showed no ill effects after spraining his left ankle in Game 2 on Monday. Joakim Noah picked up his fourth foul with 3:01 left in the third quarter. Rose was fouled by Jones on a 3-pointer with 1:28 left in the third quarter, and made all three free throws to put the Bulls ahead 63-59. The Pacers could have taken the lead at the end of the third quarter, but A.J. Price’s short jumper bounced off the rim, and the Bulls led 65-64.

NOTES—Former Pacer Reggie Miller said he remembers the early 1990s when his team would host the Bulls at Market Square Arena and the crowd would be about 60 percent Bulls fans. He said that changed when the Pacers proved to be legitimate Eastern Conference contenders….Noting the Bulls history of traveling in large numbers, Pacers coach Frank Vogel asked the fans to support the team, joking that metal detectors would keep Bulls fans out of the building….The game was a sellout, and Indiana had a clear advantage in crowd support. Indiana, which was last in the league in attendance during the regular season, had just six sellouts.

ST. PETERSBURG—Omar Vizquel, A.J. Pierzynski, Carlos Quentin and Paul Konerko each drove in two runs and the White Sox stopped a seven-game losing streak with a 9-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday night.The Sox had been outscored 11-2 in losing the first three games of the four-game series against Tampa Bay. Gavin Floyd (2-1) allowed two runs in six innings. He struck out seven and hit two batters.Sam Fuld had two RBI for the Rays, who lost for just the second time in 10 games. Juan Pierre opened the first with a bunt single and went to third when Rays third baseman Felipe Lopez was charged with an error for an errant throw to first on the play. Pierre then scored to make it 1-0 on Vizquel’s grounder.Pierre also started a four-run third against Jeff Niemann (0-3) with another bunt single. Vizquel doubled home a run, Konerko and Adam Dunn each had RBI singles and Pierzynski hit a sacrifice fly.Fuld cut the Rays’ deficit to 5-2 in the fourth with a two-run single.The Sox took a 6-2 lead on Pierzynski’s RBI single in the fifth. Quentin extended the advantage to 8-2 on a two-run double during the sixth. Konerko added an RBI single in the eighth.Niemann lasted just 4 2/3 innings, giving up six runs and six hits. He struck out four, walked two, hit two batters and threw a wild pitch. Niemann is 1-8 with an 8.87 ERA in 11 starts since being on the disabled list last year for a strained right shoulder. Rays designated hitter Johnny Damon went 1 for 4 in his return after missing the previous three games because of a left ring finger injury. He picked up career hit 2,585, which moved him past Reggie Jackson into 79th place all-time, on his third-inning single. NOTES—Vizquel replaced 2B Gordon Beckham, who is mired in a 2 for 25 slide. Guillen said he may move Beckham out of the second spot in the lineup to help the infielder relax…..Vizquel played in his 2,855th game, which is one away from tying Robin Yount for 14th place all-time…..Damon has a 10-game hitting streak…..It was Vizquel’s first multi-RBI game since last Aug. 27 against the New York Yankees

Ryan Ludwick had three hits, including one of the Padres’ three home runs, and San Diego beat the Cubs 5-4 on Wednesday night to split a doubleheader.Cameron Maybin and Chris Denorfia also homered off Cubs starter James Russell (1-3) as the Padres rebounded from a 2-1 loss in 11 innings in the afternoon opener. The teams were forced to play the doubleheader after Tuesday night’s game was rained out.After losing in Game 1 on Reed Johnson’s homer, San Diego took the lead for good in the second inning of the nightcap on Ludwick’s two-run shot. Maybin extended the lead to 3-0 with his homer in the fourth, and Denorfia connected on a solo home run in the fifth.Johnson drove home Alfonso Soriano in the fifth, and Soriano added a two-run homer in the eighth inning, but it wasn’t enough to come all the way back.Aaron Harang (4-0) gave up two runs over six innings before turning it over to the bullpen. Chad Qualls gave up Soriano’s homer, which got the Cubs within 5-4, but Heath Bell worked around a two-out single by Kosuke Fukudome in the ninth inning for his fifth save.The opening game of the doubleheader also came down to the wire.The Cubs led 1-0 when starting pitcher Matt Garza left after six innings. He scattered six hits and walked three while striking out nine — and even scored the Cubs’ first run, on a single by Marlon Byrd in the third inning.The Padres tied the game in the ninth against Carlos Marmol, when Maybin walked, stole second, went to third on Will Venable’s bunt single and scored on Josh Barlett’s sacrifice fly.Johnson connected in the 11th off Luke Gregerson (0-1), the fifth Padres pitcher, for the game-winning homer. Reliever Jeff Samardzija (1-0) worked two innings for the victory.The Cubs could have prevented Game 1 from being so tight, squandering a chance in the third inning. After Garza scored, the Cubs loaded the bases with two outs. Carlos Pena grounded out to end the inning, leaving the Cubs clinging to a 1-0 lead.The Padres threatened in the sixth when Garza walked the bases loaded with one out, but he escaped the jam by getting Brad Hawpe to ground into an inning-ending double play.Quade pulled Garza after six innings and employed three relief pitchers in the seventh to prevent the Padres from scoring. Left-hander Sean Marshall walked Orlando Hudson to load the bases with two outs before getting Headley to ground out with a full count.After the Padres tied it in the ninth, Mike Adams gave up a two-out single to Fukudome, ending a streak of 28 consecutive batters retired.San Diego loaded the bases with one out in the 11th, but Headley and Hundley each flied out to end the threat.

NOTES—Fukudome was out of the Game 1 starting lineup, but the outfielder entered the game in the seventh in right field. His wife delivered a baby girl, the couple’s second child, on Tuesday in Chicago … Tuesday’s rainout was the first of the season for either team. Conditions on Wednesday were overcast and dry with temperatures in the 40s. … With a Thursday home game with Philadelphia, the Padres planned a quick departure from Chicago.

ST. PETERSBURG—After a miserable start to the season, the Tampa Bay Rays have quickly recovered.Wade Davis pitched seven solid innings, John Jaso homered and the Rays won for the eighth time in nine games to reach .500 with a 4-1 victory over the slumping White Sox on Wednesday night.Tampa Bay (9-9) became just the second team since 1900 — joining the 1991 Seattle Mariners — to reach .500 in April after starting the season with a six-game losing streak.Davis (2-2) allowed one run and six hits. Jaso put the Rays ahead 2-0 on a two-run homer off Phil Humber (1-2) during the second.Carlos Quentin homered for the White Sox, who have lost seven in a row. The Sox have has been outscored 11-2 through three games of a four-game series against Tampa Bay.Guillen tweaked his lineup, dropping designated hitter Adam Dunn from third to fifth. Quentin moved up two spots to third. Dunn went 1-for-3, including a double.Dunn, who missed six games after having an emergency appendectomy on April 6, entered with just two hits in 27 at-bats over his previous seven games.Humber gave up four runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings.After Joel Peralta worked a perfect eighth, Kyle Farnsworth got the final three outs for his fourth save.The White Sox loaded the bases — including walks to Quentin and Dunn — with two outs in the first, but failed to score when Alex Rios lined out deep to left.Davis got defensive help from right fielder Matt Joyce, who made a leaping catch at the wall on Juan Pierre’s drive with two on and one out in the fifth. Gordon Beckman, mired in a 2-for-25 slide, then hit an infield pop fly to end the inning.Casey Kotchman made it 3-0 with a fourth-inning RBI double. Joyce had a run-scoring double in the fifth that extended the Rays’ advantage to 4-0.Quentin’s sixth-inning homer pulled the Sox within 4-1.A.J. Pierzynski was ejected by plate umpire Brian Knight after grounding out to end the top of sixth. The pair had a discussion near the plate as Pierzynski was returning to the dugout.Guillen said Pierzynski was unhappy about a call during the at-bat.

NOTES—Tampa Bay DH Johnny Damon was out the lineup for third straight game due to a left ring finger injury. Damon said there was soreness when took batting practice, but that he plans to hit again on Thursday….Guillen is not sure when he’ll give Rios (sore toe) a day off. Rios told Guillen that he doesn’t need a rest.

Dave Bolland returned to the lineup after missing 17 games with a concussion and had a goal and three assists Tuesday as the defending Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks avoided being swept, routing the Vancouver Canucks 7-2.Vancouver still leads 3-1 in the first-round series that heads back to the Rogers Arena for Game 5 on Thursday night.Patrick Sharp scored two power-play goals in a chippy final period that featured pushing, shoving, jawing and a fight between Vancouver’s Kevin Bieska and Viktor Stalberg.The Blackhawks got an offensive lift from their defensemen as Brian Campbell and Duncan Keith scored 17 seconds apart in a four-goal second period.Bryan Bickell had a goal 1:43 into the game as the Hawks finally solved Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo, who may have been shaken up making a save late in the opening period. He was pulled in the final period.Michael Frolic scored on a breakway after a pass from Bolland to give the Hawks a 5-1 lead in the second. Sharp’s first power-play goal early in the third put the Blackhawks up five and just more than a minute later, with 15:55 left in the game, Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault replaced Luongo with Cory Schneider.Sami Salo scored on a power play for the Canucks in the first period and Daniel Sedin added a power-play goal on a tip-in in the final period.The Hawks played without top defenseman Brent Seabrook, who was ruled out after taking a hard hit from Raffi Torres in Game 3, a blow to the head that many of the Blackhawks thought merited a suspension. And the Hawks took a few early shots at Torres, especially Keith, Seabrook’s usual mate on the blue line.With the game tied at 1-1 and seconds after a power play had expired, Campbell took a nifty pass from Patrick Kane and with Jonathan Toews in front of him, scored from the left circle to make it 2-1.And 17 seconds later, Keith rifled in a shot from between the circles for a 3-1 lead as the United Center erupted.Later in the period, Bolland picked up a loose puck in the left circle, made a nice fake and then scored the third goal of the period for a 4-1 lead.Playing for the first time since March 9, Bolland later reached a loose puck and shoveled it up ice to Frolik, who then beat Luongo one-on-one to make it 5-1.Bickell, who missed Game 3 after hurting his wrist in Game 2, beat Bieska on a cut from the right wing, skated across the crease and tucked it in past Luongo for his first career playoff goal. But three minutes later, the Canucks got even.Salo’s long slap shot on the power play with Alexandre Burrows and Chris Higgins trying to screen Crawford appeared to hit Campbell and went in the net.Luoungo had 12 first-period saves. He had a nice stop on Stalberg’s rebound attempt from right in front and another save when the puck flew up in the air after a slapper from John Scott. But his best came in the final minute on a shot by Bickell when the Canucks goalie sat on the puck and with his arms pinned behind him kept it from going in. Luongo grimaced after the play and then skated gingerly to the bench at the end of the period.

NOTES—Crawford got a rare assist on Campell’s goal for making the initial pass to Kane. … The four points were a career-high for Bolland. … Torres and Scott were given 10-minute misconducts in the final period. … Daniel Sedin has four goals in the four games

ST. PETERSBURG—Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon could sense early on that James Shields was heading for a big game.Shields struck out nine in a four-hitter and the surging Rays beat the White Sox 2-1 on Tuesday night for their seventh win in eight games.Shields (1-1) outpitched John Danks and walked one in his sixth career complete game, and first since June 10, 2008, against the Angels.It was the second straight outstanding pitching performance for Tampa Bay. David Price and Joel Peralta combined on a four-hitter in a 5-0 win over the White Sox on Monday night.Danks (0-2) gave up two runs and seven hits in seven innings for the White Sox, who have lost six in a row. The left-hander struck out five and hit two batters. Danks held the Rays without a hit in six at-bats — including a pair of strikeouts by B.J. Upton — with runners in scoring position through three innings, and 0 for 8 overall.The White Sox, who have scored just 29 runs over the last 10 games, tied it at 1 in the fifth. Carlos Quentin hit a leadoff double and scored on A.J. Pierzynski’s one-out single to center.The Rays went back in front in the bottom half of the fifth on Sean Rodriguez’s run-scoring triple.Shields got some defensive help in the seventh from catcher Kelly Shoppach, who picked Paul Konerko off at first after Quentin struck out. Adam Dunn went 0 for 4, including three strikeouts. He has two hits in his last 27 at-bats.Guillen said he might drop Dunn, who missed six games after having an emergency appendectomy on April 6, down in the lineup from his current third spot.Shields ended the game by striking out Dunn and Konerko with Juan Pierre on second.Tampa Bay grabbed the lead in the first when Ben Zobrist tripled and scored on a grounder by Felipe Lopez, who had three RBI in Monday’s game. Zobrist entered hitless in 10 at-bats against Danks.Designated hitter Johnny Damon (bruised left ring finger tip) and first baseman Dan Johnson (sore left forearm-wrist) were out of the Rays’ lineup. Both could start again in the next couple days.

NOTES—Former Cub Sam Fuld, the replacement for All-Star Carl Crawford, received high praise from Maddon. “There’s no drop off,” Maddon said. “Sam’s playing that level of defense right now. All the different things he’s doing defensively, I can’t say that Carl’s better.” Crawford signed with Boston during the offseason…..Danks didn’t allow a run in the first three innings of his other three starts this season…..Tampa Bay LHP J.P. Howell, coming back from left shoulder surgery, is set to pitch in extended spring training after throwing a 35-pitch batting practice session. The reliever is not expected to rejoin the team until mid-May.

Derrick Rose scored 36 points, Carlos Boozer added 17 points and 16 rebounds, and the top-seeded Bulls pulled out another dramatic victory over Indiana, beating the Pacers 96-90 on Monday night in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.Rose scored eight points over the final 4 minutes. Kyle Korver nailed another big 3-pointer to make it 90-85 with just over a minute left after hitting the tiebreaker in the opener.A.J. Price hit three free throws with 23.4 seconds left after being fouled by Rose to cut the lead to 90-88. Luol Deng quickly answered with two of his own to make it a four-point game. Ronnie Brewer added two more after a missed 3 by Mike Dunleavy, and the Bulls, who made its last 16 free throws, hung on to go up 2-0.It hasn’t been easy for the Bulls after they stormed through the regular season with a league-best 62-20 record.The Pacers hung in even though they lost point guard Darren Collison to a sprained left ankle late in the first half.Rose continued to play like an MVP candidate, following up a career playoff-best 39-point performance with another big outing. He didn’t get to the line quite as much this time but made the most of his opportunities, hitting 12 of 13 free throws after making 19 of 21 in the opener.Boozer came up big after a quiet Game 1. The Bulls dominated the boards, outrebounding Indiana 57-33, and came away with the win even though they shot just 38.6 percent and committed 22 turnovers.Danny Granger led Indiana with 19 points, but Tyler Hansbrough struggled, finishing with just six points on 2-of-12 shooting after scoring 22 points in the opener. Indiana’s T.J. Ford provided the shot of the game at the end of the third quarter when he banked in an 65-foot heave at the buzzer that tied it at 67, sending loud oohs and aahs through the arena.

NOTES—Ronnie Brewer said he doesn’t expect his sprained left thumb to heal until after the season and will likely play with pain the rest of the way. “It’s not like it’s just going to heal after a day or two,” he said. “We practice every day. It’s not like I’m sitting out or taking plays off.” … Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau on Granger comparing Rose to a “crazy stalker ex-girlfriend” who doesn’t go away: “I certainly don’t see it that way. I guess beauty’s in the eye of the beholder. He looks pretty good to me.” … Former Bull Cliff Levingston presented the game ball before the opening tip. … Fans cheered Bears coach Lovie Smith when he was shown during a timeout late in the first quarter. … The Pacers have not won a playoff game since Game 3 of their first-round series with New Jersey in 2006. They dropped the next three games to bow out in six and did not get back to the postseason until this year.