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Rose Happy For Jimmy Butler; Pacers Win

 width=Jimmy Butler has clearly emerged as the Chicago Bulls' No. 1 option, and it sounds like Derrick Rose is OK with this development. Two days after scoring 40 points in a half, Butler led the team with 32 points on 11-for-21 shooting and 10 assists as the Bulls beat the Milwaukee Bucks 117-106 on Tuesday, their fifth win in a row.

"The way Jimmy is playing, the patience he is playing with, you can tell the game is slowing down for him," Rose said, via Bulls.com's Sam Smith. "It's fun to see, exciting; I'm happy for him."

There has been all sorts of drama around this team, and lots of talk about the relationship between the two guys in the backcourt. Rose was once undeniably the franchise player and the most popular man in Chicago. Butler signed a five-year, $95 million contract last summer and then declared he was a point guard. While Butler made his name as a defensive player, you can now run an offense through him. It's easy to figure out why that might make things awkward for Rose, who is not producing like the player he was before numerous serious knee surgeries.

What remains in question is whether or not this long-term pairing makes sense. Rose has historically been most effective with the ball in his hands, and it's become obvious that Butler deserves to use a huge chunk of Chicago's possessions.

>>Pacers Beat Magic

 width=It wasn't Indiana's best shooting night, not by a long shot.

But the Pacers made enough shots and played enough defense to beat the Orlando Magic 95-86 on Wednesday.

Paul George had 20 points and Monta Ellis scored nine of his 19 in the fourth quarter, helping the Pacers beat the Magic for the sixth straight time.

George, who scored at least 31 points in his previous three games, shot 5 of 13 but led a second-quarter rally that put Indiana ahead for good.

After the teams combined to shoot 5 for 39 from 3-point range in the first three quarters, Hill and the Magic's Victor Oladipo picked up the scoring pace in the fourth with two long-range jumpers apiece.

Oladipo led the Magic with 20 points, 11 in the fourth period. Nik Vucevic added 17 points and four rebounds.

Orlando missed nine of its first 10 shots and fell behind by nine points early. But Jason Smith made three shots and left the game with an ankle injury during a 15-6 spurt that left the Magic with a six-point lead, its largest of the game, late in the second quarter.

George scored the final five points of an 8-0 Indiana run early in the second half, and the Pacers held the lead for the rest of the game.

Indiana plays at New Orleans on Friday night.

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