Three transactions before Thursday's trading deadline left Chicago (25-30) short-handed Friday night against Northwest Division-leading Denver.

On Wednesday, the Bulls traded Drew Gooden, Andres Nocioni and little-used reserves Cedric Simmons and Michael Ruffin to Sacramento for Brad Miller and John Salmons. The next day, Chicago sent Larry Hughes to New York for Tim Thomas and reserves Jerome James and Anthony Roberson, then acquired a first-round draft pick from Oklahoma City in exchange for Thabo Sefolosha.

With Miller and Salmons on the bench and the former Knicks players in New York, the Bulls rallied from an early deficit for a 116-99 victory over a Denver team which entered with the second-best record in the Western Conference.

"The NBA is like that," said guard Ben Gordon, who scored a season-high 37 points. "Usually the teams that have their backs against the wall tend to play a little better, play more passionate. That's how we've been playing the last couple games."

After trailing by 10 through one quarter, Chicago outscored the Nuggets 95-68 in the final three periods to win for the seventh time in 10 games following a 5-13 slump.

The Bulls pulled within a half-game of Milwaukee for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East.

"We were short-manned with everything that's been going on the last couple days," Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said. "But we have resilient guys. I've said that since the beginning. ... I like the direction we're going."

Miller, who played 105 games for the Bulls from 2000-2002, and Salmons are expected to be available Sunday. Thomas, who played three games with Chicago in 2005-06 before a messy break-up, and Roberson also could be available. James is out with an Achilles' injury.

The Pacers (23-34) have much greater injury concerns.

Danny Granger, among the league leaders with 25.0 points per game, is out up to three weeks with a torn tendon in the sole of his right foot.

Indiana, though, was able to overcome his absence in its first game since losing the All-Star forward and defeated Minnesota 112-105 on Friday night.

The Pacers also played without Mike Dunleavy (knee) and Jeff Foster (ankle). Their second-leading scorer, T.J. Ford, suffered a cut on his forehead that required stitches after taking an inadvertent elbow from teammate Troy Murphy.

Ford, averaging 14.9 points, returned to finish with 13 points in 27 minutes.

Marquis Daniels, meanwhile, stepped up in place of Granger, scoring 24 points in his first start since Jan. 5. It was his third game back after missing five with back trouble, which has forced him to miss 15 games overall this season.

"It's still tight, but overall it's getting better," said Daniels, averaging 15.5 points in 32 starts this season. "It's starting to come around the corner."

The Bulls have won seven of the last 10 meetings, including a 104-91 home victory on Nov. 15 in the only matchup this season. They've split six visits to Indiana after losing 14 straight there.