No NBA penalties for Bulls' skirmish -- yet

One team managed to accomplish what it set out to do Wednesday in Indianapolis.

After the Pacers turned a 16-point second-quarter deficit into a 117-102 win over the Bulls, guard Mike Dunleavy credited the comeback to the brief skirmish that brought ejections for Tyrus Thomas and Indiana forward Troy Murphy.

"It was all sparked by Mr. Murphy's ejection," Dunleavy said in the locker room. "It got everybody riled up. We were in trouble there for a little bit. We were playing kind of dead."

The NBA made no decision Thursday on penalties for Thomas and Murphy. Bulls coach Scott Skiles said he expects one-game suspensions for both players.

Murphy was the instigator, shoving Thomas twice after a foul, then took some time to calm down once the players were separated. Thomas retaliated with an open-handed shove to Murphy's face after being pushed to the floor.

"I don't blame Tyrus for the way he reacted," Skiles said. "It's one of those plays that happens when guys are competing.

"Murphy got fouled hard by Ben Gordon on the break and fouled hard by (Andres) Nocioni on the break, then the situation with Tyrus. So maybe he was a little frustrated by that."

It's likely that the league will announce punishments before the Bulls take on the New York Knicks tonight at the United Center. Thomas was off to a good start, scoring 8 points in nine minutes before getting tossed with 3:51 left in the second quarter.

"I don't really know how they're going to judge it, what they're going to do," Thomas said following Thursday's practice at the Berto Center. "Hopefully, it's not anything too harsh. But consequences are consequences."

It's debatable whether the skirmish had any effect on the game's outcome. The Pacers had already trimmed the Bulls' lead from 16 points to 2 before tempers flared.

Skiles was disappointed the Bulls didn't offer much of a response when Indiana caught fire and shot 70 percent from the field in the second and third quarters.

"There are a lot of areas that we just haven't made the commitment we need to make to be a very good team yet," he said. "Not every team needs to do them. For us, we have found a formula that we need to have to win and it revolves around defensive intensity, dominating the glass and playing unselfishly on offense.

"That's the gist of it. We have not, night in and night out, made that commitment yet. As a result, it's reflected in our record."

Bulls fans know the drill well. In each of the previous three seasons, the team started slowly before finding its stride and making the playoffs. The turnarounds usually came in December and started with easy home wins against weak competition. So the Knicks, who have lost six straight at the United Center, offer a chance for the Bulls to move forward.

"We're having the occasional game, occasional half. But it's not good enough if you want to be an elite team," Skiles said. "That's the fact of it. If you want to just be a decent team and flutter around .500 or something, there are things you can get away with doing. If you want to be a top-eight, top-four team, you can't. We feel like when we're right, we're a very good club."

Ben Wallace, Joe Smith, Luol Deng and Chris Duhon sat out Thursday's practice with minor ailments. All are expected to be ready tonight.

Tonight's tipoff

Bulls vs. New York Knicks at the United Center, 7:30 p.m.

TV: Comcast SportsNet

Radio: WMVP 1000-AM

Update: The Bulls' 85-78 road loss to the Knicks on Nov. 24 certainly wasn't a great moment in franchise history, considering New York is one of the league's worst defensive teams. The Knicks (6-15) have dropped their last six at the United Center. Guard Stephon Marbury is not expected to be with the team due to the death of his father, Donald.

Players to watch: Jamal Crawford would fit right in if he were still with the Bulls. Now in his eighth season, Crawford leads the Knicks at 18.0 points but is shooting just 39.8 percent. With Zach Randolph on board, Eddy Curry's scoring average has dropped from 19.5 points last year to 15.1.

Next: Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday at the United Center, 7:30 p.m.

-- Mike McGraw