Bulls hit a new low with loss to Pacers |
INDIANAPOLIS - To say this season has been a struggle for the Chicago Bulls (26-32) would be an understatement, as they are limping toward the All-Star break. Stuck in the middle of a four-game losing streak and riding one of the worst three-point shooting displays in NBA history, the Bulls have a lot of work to do and not much time to get it done.
With a game against the Indiana Pacers (26-34), who are struggling in their own right, perhaps this was the medicine the Bulls needed to get back on track. If the first quarter indicated how things would go, the Bulls were in for a fantastic night as they stormed out the gates on fire and led by a score of 39-15. It would take a near-epic collapse for the Bulls to let this one slip away, but this is the Bulls we are talking about here. Not only did Chicago see their lead trimmed to 16 at the half, but they were outscored by the Pacers the rest of the way, which saw them suddenly in a tight game late. That close game tilted in favor of Indiana during the closing minutes, which saw the Bulls force up ugly shots and come away empty. The result was a fifth straight loss, and arguably their worst loss of the season, as the Pacers found a way to battle back 117-113. With DeMar DeRozan sidelined with a thigh injury and most likely out until the All-Star break, this has become Zach Lavine's team, and rightfully so, as they need him to start playing like the max-deal player he wanted to be. From an offensive side, Lavine was outstanding most of the night, leading all scorers with 35 points while adding 11 rebounds and seven assists. His biggest issue continues to be a lack of basketball IQ as costly decisions from him down the stretch loomed large. Having to play without your leading scorer is a daunting task, but one that Coby White wanted to take head-on. He gave the Bulls 33 minutes off the bench and gave Lavine plenty of support to finish with 25 points. Given how he has played and the lack of a true PG on this team, it is time for Billy Donovan to bite the bullet and let White run the show. Looking to continue his strong stretch of play was Nikola Vucevic,who put forth a 19-point showing, but with only seven rebounds, his streak of double-doubles ended. Not only did not having DeRozan hurt, but when Alex Caruso continues to flounder offensively, it makes things much more challenging for Chicago. Sure, Patrick Williams and Ayo Dosunmu combined for 26 points, but when you only get five from Caruso and three points from everyone else not named White off the bench, you make things difficult on yourselves. That difficulty proved too much in the end. No one would have guessed a comeback attempt from the Pacers when you look at how the game started. Credit Buddy Hield and the rest of the team for their fight, but Hield helped ignite this team. Not only did he lead the way with 27, but his ability to knock down six triples started the rally and helped push Indiana over the top. You also had Aaron Nesmith add 21 points and seven rebounds, giving Indiana a nice 1-2 combo from their starting five. However, the overall abundance of balanced scoring made the biggest difference, with the Pacers getting plenty of other players involved. Myles Turner and Tyrese Haliburton picked up double-digit games, with Turner dropping 17 and Haliburton 16. Both nearly came away with double-doubles as they were doing more than just scoring. When it came to the bench, Indiana had plenty of success there as they outscored the Chicago bench by six points despite only having four guys contribute. That was because Chris Duarte and Ben Mathurin set the tone as they combined for 28 points, 14 a piece, while knocking down six triples. Indiana would end up knocking down 18 triples in the game, while the Bulls had 15, more than their previous three games combined. Chicago returns to the court on Thursday to host the Milwaukee Bucks as Chicago will look to enter the All-star break on a positive note. Milwaukee has been on fire, riding an 11-game winning streak, while Chicago is on a 20-game home winning streak when TNT does their games.
