Indianapolis, IN (My Sportsbook) - Troy Murphy recorded 27 points and 14 rebounds, and the Indiana Pacers held on for a 98-91 victory over the Chicago Bulls.

Still playing without leading scorer Danny Granger, who is out with a foot injury, the Pacers overcame a 40.0 percent shooting effort for their third win in four games. Indiana improved to 5-1 this season when Granger has not played.

T.J. Ford provided 19 points, eight rebounds and five assists, while Jarrett Jack and Marquis Daniels each had 16 points in the win.

"It's a big adjustment, especially with Danny out at the end of games," Murphy said. "He was a guy to go to and hit shots. Today we went to T.J., and he delivered."

Indiana was very proficient from beyond the arc, shooting 8-for-15 for the game.

Ben Gordon shot 12-of-20 for a game-high 28 points for the Bulls, who had won three of four coming into the contest. Tyrus Thomas added 16 points, while Luol Deng had 13 in the loss.

"I thought our guys played hard, not real smart at times," Bulls head coach Vinny Del Negro said. "Offensive rebounds were the difference. We weren't able to control (Ford's) penetration. We had opportunities but didn't seem to capitalize on them."

Chicago had only 10 offensive rebounds, while Indiana garnered 17.

Several new Chicago players got in the game Sunday, as John Salmons scored 12 points in 25 minutes of action after coming over from Sacramento before the trading deadline. Brad Miller was also acquired from the Kings and posted six points and 10 rebounds, while Tim Thomas, who came from the Knicks, had five points in the loss.

"I had a lot of nervous energy," Salmons said. "I felt like everything was going at 100 miles per hour. But after awhile, it turned into a regular basketball game."

Indiana led, 75-74, heading to the fourth, and Thomas' jumper to start the frame put the Bulls in front by one after trailing in the third by as many as 14.

The Pacers experienced a long shooting drought in the second half, which allowed Chicago's resurgence. Indiana went without a field goal from the 5:46 mark of the third to 6:43 left in the fourth, when Murphy tied the game at 80-80 with a three-pointer.

"We're a pretty resilient group," Murphy said. "When a team comes back on us, I don't think we worry too much. We just pretty much stayed in the game, hit shots and turned things back our way."

The basket woke up Indiana's offense, though, as the team made four of its next five shots to take an 89-86 lead on Jeff Foster's layup with 3 1/2 minutes left.

The teams traded baskets, and Ford hit a leaning bank shot to give the Pacers a 93-88 advantage with 1:23 on the clock. Ford came up with a steal and a layup on the ensuing Bulls possession for a seven-point lead, and Indiana held on from there.

Gordon was the leading scorer in the first with 11 points, and the two teams played to a 27-27 tie after the opening 12 minutes.

After a back-and-forth second quarter, Indiana held a 52-51 halftime lead despite Gordon's 22 points on 9-of-11 shooting.

The Pacers opened the third quarter on a 9-2 run, as Daniels' three gave the hosts a 61-53 lead in the early minutes. After Thomas cut the Bulls' deficit to six following a timeout, Indiana scored eight straight points to go ahead, 69-55, on Maceo Baston's basket.

Chicago responded with a 15-2 run, reducing its gap to only one, 71-70, on a couple free throws from Salmons. After the third quarter, Indiana held a slight 75-74 edge.

Game Notes

The season series is tied, 1-1...Indiana improved to 17-11 at home, while Chicago fell to 10-20 on the road...Joakim Noah provided five points and 12 rebounds for the Bulls, while Roy Hibbert had six points and seven rebounds for the Pacers...Chicago shot 43.0 percent from the field overall, and 6-of-15 from three-point range.