Bulls 88, Pacers 84
Derrick Rose had a rough shooting night but stepped up when it counted, driving for the tie-breaking layup with 17.8 seconds left as the Chicago Bulls took a commanding 3-0 lead in their Eastern Conference first-round series with an 88-84 victory over the host Indiana Pacers on Thursday.
Luol Deng collected 21 points, six rebounds and six assists and Kyle Korver scored 10 of his 12 points in the fourth quarter for the top-seeded Bulls, who have won the first three games by a combined 15 points and will go for a sweep Saturday.
Rose, who averaged 37.5 points in the first two games, was held to 4 of 18 shooting but connected on 13 of 15 free throws to finish with 23 points.
After a timeout, Rose, who missed his first 10 shots of the second half, got the ball on a clear-out at the top of the key with 20 seconds left and drove the lane, beating a trio of defenders and laying it off the glass with his left hand for the go-ahead basket.
Danny Granger missed a 3-pointer at the other end, and Ronnie Brewer hit a pair of free throws to seal it.
Granger scored 21 points for the eighth-seeded Pacers, who shot 38 percent from the floor.