If a phrase best fit the Chicago Bulls, it would be “consistently inconsistent”.  They sometimes have streaks of games where they look like they could be title contenders while at other times they play like a lottery-bound team.  In Saturday night’s game against the Indiana Pacers at the United Center, they incorporated a bit of both as they managed to roar to an early lead, blow a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter yet find a way to win in the end.  The end result of this maddening sequence of events was a 112-106 Chicago win over Indiana – a sorely needed win for the Bulls as they try to remain in the Eastern Conference playoff chase.

Both teams shot well, especially in the first half as Indiana outscored Chicago 35-23 in the first quarter while the Bulls outscored the Pacers33-23 in the second quarter; Indiana would take into halftime a slim 58-54 advantage.  Chicago had a 92-82 lead to start the fourth quarter after a 3-point play by Derrick Rose and a short floater by Ben Gordon; Brad Miller pushed the Bulls’ lead back to 10 with a pair of free throws after a layup by the Pacers’ Stephen Graham; however, Indiana charged back.

A 3-pointer by Danny Granger capped a 13-2 Pacers run, giving them a 97-96 lead with just over 6 minutes remaining in the game; Indiana led 102-99 after Brandon Rush hit a bank shot with about 3:20 left to go, but Chicago’s John Salmons responded with a pair of treys that put the Bulls up for good.

Chicago’s high scorer was Gordon with 25 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals while Salmons added 22 (including four 3-pointers) with 2 rebounds, a steal and a block;  Tyrus Thomas chipped in 18 with 8 rebounds, an assist and 7 blocks while Miller poured in 17 with 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and a block.  Rose scored 16 with 9 rebounds and 8 assists.

Indiana was led by Granger with 32 points (including 4 treys), 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals while Rush added 29 with 4 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal and a block.  Chicago (36-38) plays again on Sunday when they fly to Toronto to take on the Raptors while Indiana (30-43) returns home to host the Washington Wizards – also on Sunday.