There was no question about the difference. Indiana took control early and Chicago spent the rest of the night playing catch-up, unable to retake the lead after the 45 minutes.
Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said the injuries were no excuse.
"It's the NBA, we've got plenty in that locker room, we've got to get the job done," he said.
The Pacers took advantage, building a 32-21 lead after one quarter and still leading 47-40 at halftime. They didn't let the Bulls get closer than four until Butler hit a 3-pointer with 31.1 seconds left in the third quarter, and Chicago couldn't tie the score until Deng hit an 8-footer early in the fourth.
After Hill answered with five straight points for Indiana, the Bulls charged back and tied the score again at 80 when Butler made two free throws with 7:04 to play.
"We fought really hard and gave ourselves a chance," Deng said. We've been there before many times, but it's tough. We just didn't have it tonight."
The Pacers answered the second challenge by converting back-to-back turnovers into four points.
Chicago did have one last gasp to send it to overtime, but Belinelli missed a 3 with 7.8 seconds left, and after the rebound went out of bounds off the Pacers, West came up with a steal and made two free throws to seal the win.
"They were making 3s and they were able to make some clutch ones tonight," West said. "But throughout the year, as our defense has continued to grow, we know that we have confidence to make plays in games and to get stops to win."
NOTES: Vogel picked up the 100th win in his coaching career. ... Chicago rookie Marquis Teague scored two points in his second trip to his hometown this season. ... Paul George finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for his 20th double-double of the season. ... This is the first time Chicago has lost a season series to Indiana since 2003-04. ... Vogel said Granger's absence in the second half was precautionary and that he wasn't worried about any long-term impact to Granger's knee.
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