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Pacers looks for consecutive wins for a change

Mar 25, 2007 - 2:39 PM Chicago(40-30) at Indiana (31-37) 3:30 pm EDT

INDIANAPOLIS (Ticker) -- Danny Granger may have broken out of his slump, now the Indiana Pacers need to break out of theirs.

Indiana has lost 13 of its last 15 games and things do not get any easier when they host the Chicago Bulls on Sunday.

Granger's play has epitomized the Pacers recent struggles. The 6-9 forward scored just 12 points in two losses. However, Granger broke out and scored 25 in a 95-70 win over the Miami Heat on Friday.

Like Granger, the Pacers hope they can break out of their recent funk. They will need Granger to get back on track because leading scorer Jermaine O'Neal has been bothered by a sore knee. O'Neal scored just 25 points on 7-of-24 shooting in two recent wins over Atlanta and Miami.

Ben Wallace and the Bulls are currently fifth in the Eastern Conference and have won seven of their last 10.

The Bulls were tied with the Pacers for fifth in the East at the All-Star break but the clubs have gone in different directions, the Bulls have gone 11-5 while the Pacers are just 3-13.

Indiana's grasp on the last playoff spot is tenuous at best. The New Jersey Nets (31-38) are breathing down their neck, just 1/2 game behind and the New York Knicks (31-39) are just 1 1/2 games back.

The Bulls have won two of three against the Pacers this season. The last meeting, however, was a 98-91 Pacers win in Indiana in which Jermaine O'Neal scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.