Welcome to the Saturday afternoon matinee.

Troy Murphy is warming up on the floor, taking a few shots, but Jim O'Brien isn't sure if he's going to be able to play. In fact, JOB said he didn't think Murph would go but wouldn't rule out the possibility.

Murph did not practice Friday at Conseco Fieldhouse. Neither did Marquis Daniels, who'll be out a fourth straight game today with that sprained right wrist. You have to wonder, in fact, if Quisy will be back at all with only nine more games remaining. It's possible we've seen him in a Pacers uniform for the last time.

At this point, it's a little tough to speculate about who they might acquire. But it's pretty safe to assume Larry Bird will be active once again. He did a terrific job last summer and with a little more salary cap flexibility this time around, he could be in position to make at least one big deal.

Murphy will not play. Jeff Foster is back in the starting lineup at power forward.

Derrick Rose is back in the Bulls' starting lineup. He came off the bench Thursday and sat out the previous game with a sprained right wrist.

Ball's in the air ...

That was a pretty iffy no-call. Looked like Thomas reached over the cylinder to pull the offensive rebound.

Hibbert picks up his second foul setting a screen for Granger at the 7:41 mark.

Brandon Rush is going off early against Ben Gordon, hitting five of his first six shots and scoring 10 of the Pacers' first 12 points. Game is tied 12-all with 6:28 left in the quarter.

The last 3-4 weeks, he has really started to come out of his shell. In researching the draft, I read he had been the team jokester at Kansas but showed none of that side of his personality for most of the season here. In the last few weeks, Rush has been much more outgoing, much more upbeat and much quicker with a smile.

Yet another no-call on an obvious goaltend by Thomas, this time against Hibbert.

Granger getting into the act now, hitting a three, scoring in transition, then stealing a pass and driving to the rim to draw a foul. Would've liked to see him pass it off to Rush for a dunk there but the free throws count the same as the Pacer go up 19-14 with 4:32 left.

Granger and Rush have all of the Pacers' points.

Pacers' run now stands at 14-3 and the lead has grown to 26-17 at the 2:52 mark. Rush has 13 and Granger 11. To see both of those guys going like this at the same time really gives you a nice warm and fuzzy feeling about the future.

Because Rush is a strong defender, he can take the best wing scorer, alleviating Granger of that pressure. Because Rush can shoot the 3-pointer, he helps space the floor. His skills really fit this system and personnel. No wonder the Pacers are 6-3 when he starts.

First quarter couldn't have gone much better for the Pacers, who close with a 23-7 run to take a 35-21 lead into the second quarter. Rush (18) and Granger (11) have combined for 29 points on 12-of-16 shooting. With Foster leading the way, Pacers have a 13-6 edge on the boards. Defense has forced five turnovers.

Depends on whose feet Rasho was using.

You're right. He's been starting very slowly lately.

Must be the early start.

You can say that again, but don't. Gordon hits a hot streak, making four jumpers including a 3-pointer as the Bulls open the second quarter with a 13-2 run to cut the lead to 37-34 with 8:25 left in the half.

While that's true, it's extremely common in the NBA for a big early lead to work against a team. You get a big lead, you naturally get a little comfortable while the other team gets a little desperate and swings the momentum.

Pacers ice-cold and Bulls can't miss, a complete reversal of the first quarter. Chicago hits nine of 11 and outscores the Pacers 21-4 in the first six minutes of the quarter to take a 42-39 lead. Gordon has 11 in the quarter, Brad Miller has eight.

Granger scores and draws a foul. He'll go to the line with the Pacers down 42-41 and a chance to tie when the teams return from the timeout with 5:52 remaining.

Maybe that'll snap the Pacers out of it.

Granger's three-point play, Hibbert's layup and another Granger bucket in transition put the Pacers back in front 46-44.

Bulls take a timeout with 3:01 left in the half as the Pacers have put together an 11-4 run to lead 50-46 after consecutive buckets by Jarrett Jack.

I like him as a college player but fear Big Baby syndrome.

I'm not sure next season's starting point guard is on the roster.

T.J. Ford flips in a twirling scoop shot high off the backboard at the buzzer and the Pacers take a 58-54 lead into the locker room.

Granger (21) and Rush (20) have combined for 41 points on 16-of-25 shooting. Rest of the Pacers have 17 points on 8-of-24 shooting. Indiana has just four turnovers. Bulls are led by Gordon with 15 and Salmons with 11.

As much as I like Curry's game, the Pacers don't need to put their playoff hopes next season in the hands of a rookie.

They could really use another shot-blocker, preferably a big guy that can score a little, too. Foster's a solid interior defender but he needs help. Hibbert will eventually be adequate defensively and should become a good shot-blocker, once he figures out the foul thing.

You guys should all check out the indianapacers Twitter feed. Complimentary tickets will be available after tomorrow night's game against the Wizards. FYI, though Gilbert Arenas is coming back tonight, he will not play against the Pacers. Wizards don't want him playing back-to-back games.

He had a nice year, that's for sure.

Could depend on how many guys come out early and, as always, the foreign contingent.

Third quarter's underway ...

He's always going to be unsung wherever he is because he plays an unspectacular game. But he does everything well and with the improvement in his 3-point shot has become a borderline All-Star.

That's a great question. You almost have to wait until the playoffs evolve to get a better feel for who might become available.

Hibbert finally does what we've all been yelling at the TV screen for him to do all season, taking off for a monster dunk on a pick-and-roll with Granger.

First few minutes of the third quarter are a shootout, with the teams trading buckets at a fast and furious pace. Lead already has changed hands 10 times in the quarter. Granger's jumper sends the Pacers into a timeout with a 70-69 lead and 7:31 remaining. He's got 27 but Rush hasn't scored since the first bucket of the second period.

And just like that, Rush hits a turnaround jumper to tie his career-high with 22 points as the Pacers go up 72-69.

Chachi switched the matchups. He opened with Gordon on Rush but has shifted Salmons to him. Now Granger should be able to take advantage of the Gordon matchup.

Yes. It's a liuttle surprising to see Jack still out there with three. Time for T.J.

Bulls now go on a little run, scoring seven in a row to take a 76-72 lead into a timeout with 4:58 left. That's their biggest lead of the game.

Tyrus Thomas is starting to get loose inside and they have three 3-pointers in the quarter. They shot 53 percent from the arc in routing Miami the night after the Pacers squeaked by the Heat.

Pacers are getting very sloppy with the ball, making soft passes and questionable decisions. Might JOB consider giving Travis Diener a look here?

This is what drives everybody crazy about T.J. : Rush hits a 3-pointer to cut it to three. On the next possession, T.J. becomes obviously obsessed with beating Hinrich one-on-one, ignores a wide-open Rush on the left wing, and loses the ball because he over-dribbled in traffic.

Because the final few games are about the young players, and Rush and Hibbert won't learn anything worth remembering by playing for a team that tanks.

Bulls shoot 13-of-22 in the third quarter and score 33 points to take an 87-82 lead into the fourth quarter. Gordon has 23, Salmons 16 and Thomas 13. Pacers committed five turnovers in the period. Granger has 27 and Rush 25. Hibbert has six points and seven boards.

Put it this way: if they lose today, the magic number is down to five.

Bulls push the lead to double-figures as Rose converts a three-point play and Gordon scoops in a layup to make it 92-82 with 11:06 remaining.

Pacers are weathering the storm nicely and begin to close it back up as Jack and Ford drive for consceutive hoops that cut it to 94-88.

The run continues as Granger makes a pair and Ford scores on the break to cut it to 94-92 with 7:27 left. Bulls have gone suddenly cold.

He put together several consecutive good games, very quietly, off the bench. Earlier in the year he'd have a couple of big games then disappear for a couple of weeks, which killed his confidence. As he became more comfortable with the system and began to see what he could do, his confidence grew.

Granger puts the Pacers in front 97-96 with a 3-pointer but Rose answers right back and Bulls are back up by one.

I think the defensive improvement boils down to more minutes for Rush and Foster, who are the two best defenders on the team. They change the mindset, not to mention the matchups.

Rush is coming up big down the stretch, scoring twice including an aggressive drive that makes it 102-99 with 3:22 left but Salmons answers with a 3-pointer that ties it up. Pacers then get three shots at the lead thanks to a couple of Foster offensive rebounds but can't convert. With 2:35 left, it's tied 102-all.

Foster has 18 rebounds.

Could this be the third two-point game in the last four?

I call 'em the Pacemakers.

Salmons hits another 3-pointer and Jack tries to answer with a quick one but misses. Thomas then hits a short jumper in the lane and the Bulls are up 107-102 with 1:29 left.

Jack shouldn't have taken a quick three. Pacers didn't need to hurry a shot there. They needed to work for a quality look from either Rush or Granger.

Chachi takes a 20 after Ford scores on a quick layup and it's 107-104 with 1:26 left. Took the Pacers just three seconds to score.

Get a stop here, then a quality look.

Vinny Del Negro looks just like Chachi.

Rose and Ford trade baskets, then the Pacers force a shot-clock violation thanks to two deflections and they're still down three, 109-106, with 32.4 seconds left.

Coming out of the timeout, Granger gets mismatched against Noah and drives to the rim but Thomas greets him at the rim and blocks his seventh shot of the game. Pacers then foul Thomas with 25 seconds left and he makes both. Granger misses a three, Rose rebounds and is fouled, and that's that.

FINAL SCORE: BULLS 112, PACERS 106

Granger scored 32 but is 3-of-11 in the second half. Rush racked up a career-high 29 on 13-of-19 shooting. Ford has 14 points, six assists and six boards. Jack has 10 points and nine assists. Foster has 18 boards.

Gordon leads Bulls (36-38), who've won four in a row and seven of eight, with 25. Salmons scores 22 including the consecutive back-breaking 3-pointers in the closing minutes. Thomas has 18 points, eight rebounds and seven blocks. Miller has 17 and Rose 16 points and eight assists.

Pacers (30-43) fall five games behind eighth-place Pistons with nine to go.

THANKS FOR JOINING IN TODAY. HOPE TO SEE YOU SUNDAY NIGHT. TELL YOUR FRIENDS. WE NEED THE DUES!!!!!!!