Chicago, IL (Sports Network) – Carlos Boozer put up 22 points with 18 rebounds to lead the Bulls to a sixth straight victory, a 92-73 triumph over Indiana.
Derrick Rose logged 17 points, 12 assists and six rebounds for Chicago, while Luol Deng chipped in 15 points and nine boards to cap a successful three-game homestand.
The Pacers, playing without leading scorer Danny Granger due to an ankle injury, were led by T.J. Ford and Brandon Rush, who each netted 13 points.
Chicago never trailed in the second half and put the game away with an 11-0 run in the fourth quarter, handing Indiana its third loss in four games.
Rose capped the flurry with a jumper and a driving layup for a commanding 84-69 lead with under three minutes to go.
The United Center fell silent a little later when Rose hit the floor hard on a drive to the basket. The All-Star point guard was favoring his right wrist but returned and hit a free throw after a brief timeout, much to the delight of the home crowd.
The Bulls made 11 of their first 16 shots and jumped out to their biggest lead, 25-8, on Rose’s three-pointer seven minutes in.
They went cold just as quickly, hitting one field goal the rest of the frame as the Pacers pulled within 27-18.
Indiana completed the quick turnaround and led 34-33 after Josh McRoberts’ putback slam at 5:16 of the second quarter, though Rose’s late triple gave Chicago a slim 43-41 halftime lead.
The lead never changed hands in the third, and Taj Gibson’s jumper in the closing seconds gave the hosts a 65-58 cushion.
Chicago is 10-2 as the host this season…The Pacers are winless in their last five trips to the United Center…Joakim Noah added 12 points and five boards for the Bulls, who shot just 10-of-20 from the foul line…Mike Dunleavy scored 12 points on 5-of-14 shooting for Indiana…The Pacers shot just 35.7 percent overall.