to get the win h

CHICAGO -- Still smarting from an emotional loss in the rugged first round of the playoffs to the Chicago Bulls nine months ago, the Indiana Pacers returned to the United Center and scrapped as if they were back in the post-season. Matt Forte Blue Jersey . Sure it was just another regular-season game in a schedule crammed with them following the lockout, but after the Pacers beat the Bulls 95-90 Wednesday night -- ending Chicagos unbeaten streak at home -- the satisfaction was evident. "They are just thrilled to get the win here," coach Frank Vogel said. "They were crushed that we didnt beat them last year in the playoffs." Danny Granger scored 22 points and a much-improved Roy Hibbert had 20, including a key dunk with 13 seconds to go, as the Pacers showed their progress from the five-game loss to the Bulls last April. Adding free-agent David West, who had 14 points, also has helped. "The difference between this years team and last years team, we have confidence that well score at crunch time," Vogel said. "Well score in the fourth quarter. We didnt have that last year." The victory, one night after the Pacers lost by 19 at home to Orlando, was of the comeback variety as they rallied from 10 points back at half. The Pacers limited injury-depleted Chicago to 36 second-half points and held Derrick Rose to two points in the fourth quarter. Last seasons MVP finished with 24 points. Trailing by two in the final half-minute, the Bulls had the ball in Roses hands but when he saw his path to the basket impeded, he moved it to the corner to reserve Brian Scalabrine, whose 24-foot attempt bounded off the rim. "Trusting my teammate," Rose said. "I think it was a good shot. At the time I thought I didnt have the shot and I think I made the right play. ... Thats usually his shot. Id give it to him again." After the missed shot the ball started to go out of bounds, but Chicagos Joakim Noah saved it, Indianas Darren Collison retrieved it and tried to dribble out some of the clock. The ball got away before Granger passed it to Hibbert for the clinching dunk, ending the mad scramble. "This was a big win for us," Granger said. "Right now we expect to win. We gave them a lot of easy buckets and they kind of blew the led open in the last two minute of the first half. In the third quarter we knew we were going to make a run and we did. We turned up the defence." The Bulls, missing injured starting forward Luol Deng (torn ligament left wrist), fell to 16-4 overall and 8-1 at home. Top sub Taj Gibson sat out his third straight game with a left ankle sprain. Ronnie Brewer, who started for Deng, scored 20 and grabbed 10 rebounds. "The NBA is the NBA and people are going to get injured," Rose said. "So guys got to step up. We have to step up as a team." West had a basket and a dunk and the Pacers forged a five-point lead early in the final quarter. Indiana kept it a five-point margin when Paul George made a nice crossover dribble and roared into the lane for a dunk with just over 6 minutes remaining. Grangers jumper increased the lead to seven with about four minutes left. Chicago quickly sliced it to three on a tip-in by Carlos Boozer and then a dunk by Noah following an Indiana turnover. . Brewers two free throws with 1:33 left cut the Pacers lead to 90-88. But West made a runner across the lane before Chicagos Richard Hamilton hit two from the line with 57 seconds remaining to make it 92-90 Pacers. Rose showed no sign of a sprained left big toe that has caused him to miss time this season. He hit a three-pointer at the first-quarter buzzer but it was waved off after officials reviewed the video and saw that Rose didnt release the ball in time. As the half was nearing its end, Rose blocked a shot, got the rebound and made a long pass to Hamilton for a layup and subsequent three-point play that gave the Bulls a 10-point lead as they closed the half on a 14-5 run. But the Pacers came out flying in the third quarter. Paul George hit a three-pointer and Granger broke free for two baskets and Indiana quickly chopped the lead to two. The Pacers finally regained the lead on another hook by Hibbert, but Rose responded with a three-point play. Wests free throw with less than a second to go put Indiana up 75-74 after three. NOTES: Indianas A.J. Price did not make the trip because of strep throat and neither did Jeff Foster, who is bothered by a sore lower back. 00:00ET 26-01-12 Chris Conte Orange Jersey .Y. - Dustin Tokarski stopped all 43 shots he faced as the Hamilton Bulldogs blanked the host Syracuse Crunch 3-0 on Saturday in American Hockey League action. Chris Conte White Jersey . Sopoaga hit the upright with his first shot at goal from 15 metres. He then kicked nine goals in succession -- two conversions and seven penalties -- before being replaced in the 62nd minute, three points short of the Highlanders record for most points in a match.DENVER -- The Colorado Avalanche showed they can win playing from behind as well as with a lead. Paul Stastny had a goal and an assist in the third period, Semyon Varlamov stopped 24 shots and the streaking Avalanche beat the Winnipeg Jets 3-2 on Sunday night. Matt Duchene and Jan Hejda also scored and Gabriel Landeskog added two assists for the Avalanche. Under first-year coach Patrick Roy, they are 10-1 for the second time in franchise history. "That was the first time we came from behind in the third period," Stastny said. "We got chances and we didnt stop. We just kept going." Blake Wheeler and Bryan Little had a goal and assist each for the Jets. The Avalanche trailed 2-1 entering the third but came out strong at the start of the period. They put nine quick shots on goalie Al Montoya before Hejda tied it with 12:47 left off an assist by Stastny. Stastny netted the winner with 5:28 left to give Colorado its fourth straight victory. "When (Alex Tanguay) brings two guys to him, you know something good is going to happen," Stastny said. "I was just going back door and trying to yell as loud as I can to Landy because he was looking to shoot. He changed his mind at the last second and just gave me a tap-in. He passed it between two sticks. Thats something we practice." The rally was ignited before the Avalanche took the ice in the third period. During the intermission Roy broke out video tape to correct some things to help free up the offence. "We had to make some adjustments because the way they play defensively," Roy said. "We wanted to transfer pucks. Thats what generated our best chances and our goal. They overload the puck side. We moved the puck and that opened the ice for us." It helped Stastny break out with his second goal and eighth point of the season. "The goals to me arent as important," he said. "As long as someone on our line is getting them, someone from our team is contributing." Montoya stopped 33 shots before being pulled for an extra skater with 1:30 left. Despite controlling the puck in Colorados end, the Jets managed just one shot with the advantage. "Theyre the hottest team in the league right now so I was ready from the gate," Montoya said. "We knew what they were going to bring. Just disappointing to not come away with at least a point." The Jets went 0 for 5 on the power play to add frustration to the loss. Kyle Fuller White Jersey. Winnipeg has failed to capitalize on 25 power-play chances in the last eight games and has just five goals in 49 chances this season. "Power play is getting old. These are the same players we had last year and there was a reason why we were last year," coach Claude Noel said. "Were seeing some of the same things we saw last year. We dont make the greatest decisions, we dont execute, and these are the things we lamented before. We were 0-for-5; it cost us the game." Wheeler gave Winnipeg a 2-1 lead when his hard shot from the right side slipped through Varlamovs legs with 9:58 left in the period. Montoya tried to make it stand up but after tremendous pressure, the Avalanche tied it. Stastnys shot from a sharp angle bounced out to Hejda, who used a screen by Tanguay screen to beat Montoya with 12:47 left. The Avalanche scored first when Ryan Wilson started a 2-on-1 break by putting a pass on the tape of Steve Downies stick in the neutral zone. Montoya stopped Downies slap shot from just inside the blue line, but the puck caromed right to Duchene, who was skating down the left side. He scored in the open net at 8:04 of the first. Little matched the goal midway through the period after Nick Holdens shot off the back boards bounced to him in the right circle. His one-timer beat Varlamov stick side. Winnipeg couldnt generate many chances after that, opening the door for Colorados comeback. "It was pretty special to win that one. The first time weve been behind going into the third," Duchene said. "New territory for us, but we believed and we had some big guys step up." NOTES: The Jets announced before the game that D Paul Postma has a blood clot in his leg and will be sidelined indefinitely. Postma played Saturday in the Jets 2-1 shootout win against the Dallas Stars. Postma will take blood thinners and remain with the team through Tuesdays game against the St. Louis Blues. Postma will be examiner further when the Jets return to Winnipeg. ... Jets C Olli Jokinen played in his 1,100th NHL game. ... Duchene matched Joe Sakic and Chris Stewart for the most goals scored in the month of October in a season since the team moved from Quebec. Sakic scored nine in 1997, and Stewart matched it three years later. ... The Avalanche have killed 18 straight penalties. ' ' '