INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- David West scored 31 points and George Hill added 21, leading the Indiana Pacers past the Chicago Bulls 97-92 in a Central Division showdown Sunday night.
Indiana (38-22) has won seven of its last eight games, going 6-1 since the All-Star break, and holds a four-game lead over second-place Chicago.
The Bulls were led by Marco Belinelli and Jimmy Butler, who each had 20 points for a team that was missing four important players with injuries.
The difference was clear. Chicago fell behind late in the first quarter and spent most of the rest of the game trying to play catch-up.
The Bulls finally tied the score at 72 on Luol Deng's 8-footer early in the fourth and again at 80 when Butler made two free throws with 7:04 left.
