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It took 47 minutes and 12 seconds, but Kyle “Hot Sauce” Korver‘s clutch three pointer with 48 seconds remaining gave the Chicago Bulls their first lead of the game against the pesky Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of their first round NBA playoffs matchup.

Derrick Rose played like the MVP he will soon be, scoring 39 points, grabbing six boards and dishing out six assists while Luol Deng sparked the team and the United Center crowd on his way to a double-double.

The Bulls’ defense was not its normal stingy self but, when it mattered most, Chicago got the stops they needed and took Game 1, 104-99. The Pacers shot lights out from the field and finished the game 10-18 from behind the arc, good for 55%.

Danny Granger and Tyler Hansbrough propelled a Pacers attack that caught many Chicago fans by surprise and Indiana had four players finish the game in double figures.

The Pacers looked like an experienced playoff team for much of the game and took it right at the number one seeded Bulls. Granger came out and said before the playoffs that he would rather face Chicago than Miami or Boston and that made headlines leading up to today’s game.

After a slow start, he turned it on and knocked down four threes while shooting 50% from the field. Hansbrough played phenomenal and consistently knocked down 15-foot jumpers over Carlos Boozer.

Despite his hot shooting, Boozer refused to crawl up into Hansbrough’s space and Psycho T*hit ten shots, finishing with 22 points. For a moment it appeared Hansbrough was going to be lost for the game after he was unintentionally elbowed in the side of the head by the Bulls’ Kurt Thomas while battling for a rebound.

Hansbrough laid on the court for some time and then had to be helped into a chair in the tunnel because he could not keep his balance. However, he returned with 5:33 left in the game and scored seven more points.

Chicago struggled for much of the game and seemed very passive on defense. After a hard foul from Hansbrough on Rose, Deng and Noah both got in Hansbrough’s face and Deng was whistled for a technical foul for delivering a shove. The Pacers’ Darren Collison missed the technical free throw and Rose sank his shots. Deng stood near halfcourt and urged the fans to get rowdy.

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–Zach Wadley

(Photos by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

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