"The numbers don't lie when it comes to Indiana Pacers forward Danny Granger .

The Pacers don't have a lot of success when he doesn't have his shooting stroke going.

The Pacers are 3-15 this season when Granger doesn't shoot at least 40 percent from the field.

That was the case again Friday in their 99-86 loss to the Chicago Bulls. The small forward scored a team-high 22 points on only 8-of-23 shooting.

"I think he started to press a little bit," Pacers coach Jim O'Brien said. "( Luol ) Deng is a great defensive player."

Granger's shooting problems go beyond having the opposing team's best perimeter defender guarding him.

He has a difficult time telling the difference between a good and bad shot, which is why he's on pace for the worst shooting season of his six-year career.

Granger forced the issue by taking a number of bad shots against the Bulls.

"(Deng) had to guard Granger, who was a tough cover," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "You can't lose track of him and if you do he's going to make you pay. So I thought he did a terrific job of making him work. Granger still ends up with 22, but he made him work for those points."

Granger started the game 2-of-12 from the field. It wasn't until the Pacers were down double-digits in the second half that he stopped settling for so many jump shots.

"If they have the other team's best player on Danny, which is what every team does, then we certainly need production elsewhere," O'Brien said."