T.J. Ford hit the go-ahead jumper with 3.9 seconds left, and the Indiana Pacers beat the Bulls 107-105 on Tuesday night to tighten the race for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Bulls had a chance to tie or win, but Ben Gordon missed a long shot that was signaled as a 3-pointer in the closing seconds.
Ford finished with 22 points and nine assists. Danny Granger led the Pacers with 31 points, while Troy Murphy had 15 points and 12 rebounds after missing the previous three games with a strained medial collateral ligament in his left knee.
Derrick Rose had 24 points and a career-high 11 rebounds, Kirk Hinrich had 20 points, seven assists and seven rebounds, and Tyrus Thomas added 20 points for the Bulls.
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Hunting and the hunted
Tuesday’s loss hurt the Bulls two ways. They lost ground to the teams immediately ahead of them in the playoff picture and put themselves in position to be knocked out of the postseason altogether. Here’s what the playoff standings look like now.
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No. Team Record Pct.
5. Miami 39-35 .527
6. Philadelphia 38-35 .521
7. Detroit 36-38 .486
8. BULLS 36-40 .474
9. Charlotte 34-40 .459
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