Rose leads Bulls past Indiana; Heat win

Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS

Derrick Rose struggled all game long, but still found a way to be the difference-maker in the end.

Rose scored 23 points, including the go-ahead layup with 17.8 seconds left, to help the Chicago Bulls beat the Indiana Pacers 88-84 on Thursday night and take a 3-0 lead in their NBA playoff series.

Rose’s late basket was his only field goal in the second half. He made just 4 of 18 shots as he was blanketed, and at times pummeled, by Indiana’s Paul George and Dahntay Jones. He made up for it by making 13 of 15 free throws. Rose averaged 37.5 points in the first two games of the series.

Luol Deng had 21 points and Kyle Korver added 12 for the Bulls.

Indiana’s Danny Granger had a chance to win it at the end, but he missed a 3-pointer in the closing seconds. He led the Pacers with 21 points.

Rose, guarded by Jones, drove left for a layup with 17.8 seconds remaining to give the Bulls an 86-84 lead and spark “MVP!” chants from the Bulls fans who made the 3-hour drive.

The Pacers went for the win, but Granger’s 3-pointer was off, and Chicago’s Ronnie Brewer rebounded. He was fouled, then made two free throws with 1.1 seconds left to put the game out of reach.

Indiana took a 68-65 lead on a layup by Jones with just over 10 minutes to play.

Heat 100, 76ers 94

PHILADELPHIA

Dwyane Wade had 32 points and 10 rebounds, LeBron James finished with 24 points and 15 boards and Miami took a 3-0 lead in its series against Philadelphia.

Chris Bosh scored 19 points for the Heat, who rallied from an early 10-point deficit to move within one win of a sweep of the Eastern Conference series.

Game 4 is Sunday in Philadelphia.

James hit the court hard late in the fourth quarter and briefly sat against the scorer’s table. He grimaced when his teammates pulled him up and he slowly walked back to Miami’s bench.

Elton Brand had 21 points and 11 rebounds for the 76ers.