Bulls 116, Pacers 89
Derrick Rose showed no ill effects from a sprained left ankle, collecting 25 points and six assists as the Chicago Bulls clinched a berth in the Eastern Conference semifinals with a 116-89 victory over the visiting Indiana Pacers on Tuesday.
Luol Deng added 24 points, seven assists and six rebounds and Keith Bogans chipped in 15 on 5-of-7 from 3-point range for the top-seeded Bulls, who closed out the series in five games and will face either the Atlanta Hawks or the Orlando Magic in the next round.
After falling behind early in Game 4 and struggling to come all the way back, Chicago took control right from the start in Game 5, shooting 63 percent en route to 36 points in the first quarter.
The Bulls took a 54-46 lead into halftime, but Rose sat down with his fourth foul at the 9:03 mark of the third quarter. Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau re-inserted his star point guard less than three minutes later and Chicago put away the game, finishing the period with a 23-8 burst that included three 3-pointers from Rose and two more from Bogans.
Rose picked up his fifth foul early in the fourth quarter but it didn’t matter as the bench continued to run it up on the Pacers. Chicago finished 14 of 31 from the arc, and Rose did not return.
Danny Granger scored 20 points and Tyler Hansbrough added 14 for eighth-seeded Indiana, which shot just 39 percent (29 of 74) from the floor.