David West scored 31 points and George Hill added 21, leading the Indiana Pacers past the Chicago Bulls 97-92 in a Central Division showdown Sunday night.
Indiana (38-22) has won 7 of its last eight games, going 6-1 since the All-Star break, and holds a 4-game lead over second-place Chicago.
The Bulls were led by Marco Belinelli and Jimmy Butler, who each had 20 points for a team that was missing four important players with injuries.
The difference was clear. Chicago fell behind late in the first quarter and spent most of the rest of the game trying to play catch-up.
The Bulls finally tied the score at 72 on Luol Deng's 8-footer early in the fourth and again at 80 when Butler made two free throws with 7:04 left.
NBA
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Miami Heat 99, New York Knicks 93
Oklahoma City Thunder 108, Los Angeles Clippers 104
Washington Wizards 90, Philadelphia 76ers 87
Memphis Grizzlies 108, Orlando Magic 82
Sacramento Kings 119, Charlotte Bobcats 83
Houston Rockets 136, Dallas Mavericks 103
San Antonio Spurs 114, Detroit Pistons 75
Los Angeles Lakers 99, Atlanta Hawks 98
>>Rose Sits With Team
(Indianapolis, IN) -- Bulls guard Derrick Rose sat on the bench with his teammates Sunday for the first time since tearing the ACL in his left knee last April. Rose started traveling with the team after the first of the year and had previously been watching games from the locker room. Rose is still questionable to return this season as he continues to rehab the injury.
