All of Chicago was no doubt holding its breath as Derrick Rose limped to the bench gingerly on a twisted ankle that he suffered on a drive to the basket late in the first quarter. Rose went to the locker room but returned to the Chicago bench shortly before the quarter ended. His status for the remainder of the game is unknown. Before getting hurt, Rose scored seven points to lead the Bulls who trail the Pacers 23-19 after one.
The Pacers jumped out to a good start led by the inspiring play of rookie Paul George, who scored seven points to lead Indiana. Danny Granger has five while Tyler Hansbrough has four.
This game began in much the same way that the other games in this series have, with Indiana building an early advantage. They will have a much better chance of sustaining that advantage if Rose doesn’t return or is hampered by that ankle injury.