Slam Dunk Central

Indiana Pacers guard Kareem Rush can thank forward-center Troy Murphy for his opportunity on the court Wednesday. He went 9-for-13 in 30 minutes, leading the Pacers past the Chicago Bulls 117-102 at Conseco Fieldhouse. But the game wasn’t about Rush at all; the turning point for Indiana was when technical fouls and ejections were assessed to Murphy and the Bulls’ Tyrus Thomas at 3:51 of the second quarter.Chicago was ahead 41-36 when Thomas retaliated for a hard foul by Murphy; Thomas responded by shoving Murphy in the face. Murphy swung back then players from both squads intervened before things escalated. That episode aside, Indiana shot 56% from the floor - including 46% from the 3-point arc - and dominated the Bulls in most of the statistical categories. The Pacers bench scored 47 points, which was key to their win, as well.

After the Thomas-Murphy altercation, Indiana responded again to take a 53-52 halftime lead. Chicaog held a brief 58-56 lead in the third quarter before the Pacers went on a 15-2 run that included 5 points from both Rush and Jamaal Tinsley to give Indiana a 71-60 lead with 7:28 left in the 3rd quarter. The Pacers would outscore the Bulls 40-25 in the quarter to take a 93-77 lead going into the fourth quarter.

The 4th quarter was basically an exchange of baskets between both teams; Chicago couldn’t mount a serious challenge from that point on. Probably the most disappointing thing was the number in attendance at the game; only 10,381 showed up. Indiana’s high scorer was Rush, who scored 22 points in 30 minutes from off the bench; three Pacers added 18 points each - Tinsley, Jermaine O’Neal and Marquis Daniels. Mike Dunleavy chipped in with 17. Chicago was led by Ben Gordon with 18 points on 7-of-21 shooting; Joe Smith added 16 while Luol Deng contributed 15. Indiana (11-11) continues their homestand by hosting the Toronto Raptors Friday night, while Chicago (7-13) returns home to host the New York Knicks - also on Friday night.