Daily Bulls

The Chicago Bulls will look to stay hot in a divisional battle against the Indiana Pacers. Chicago is coming off their first home win of the season over the Boston Celtics, 120-102. After a sluggish first quarter, the Bulls bench unit and Zach Lavine gave the needed spark to go from losing by 19 points to winning the game by 18. Indiana lost the first game of their five-game road trip on Monday against the Philadelphia 76ers, 120-106. The Pacers are a rebuilding team, but their young core Tyrese Haliburton, 2022 first-round pick Bennedict Mathurin, and Jalen Smith have made significant contributors quickly this season.

Matchup to Watch

Ayo Dosunmu vs Tyrese Haliburton

One of the future pieces that the Indiana Pacers love has been Tyrese Haliburton. Haliburton has gotten off to a good start for the season averaging 24.0 points and 9.8 assists in 31.5 minutes per game. Last season, he got traded along with Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson from the Sacramento Kings to Indiana for Domantas Sabonis, Jeremy Lamb, Justin Holiday, and a 2023 second-round pick. Even though the Pacers will probably not make the postseason, Haliburton has a bright future in the NBA.

Ayo Dosunmu will most likely get the assignment of guarding Tyrese Haliburton. Dosunmu is coming off an excellent bounce-back game with 22 points on 9-for-10 shooting from the field. Stopping Haliburton will be a challenge, but Dosunmu will be ready and be out to prove why he is a two-way player. Last note, both of these players are 22 years old.

Keys to the Game

Good Start

Entering Wednesday night, Chicago has been outscored in three out of the four games in the first quarter. The only time Chicago outscored their opponent in the first quarter this season was against the Washington Wizards, 30-26. The Bulls did start with a 10-2 run against Cleveland, but that lead vanished quickly.

Chicago has a great chance of getting back on track early in games against a rebuilding Indiana Pacers squad. The Bulls can not afford to play from behind for the fifth straight game. Getting a good start will mean the starters will have to show more energy and motivation to compete on both sides of the ball. For the Bulls starters, moving without the ball and giving Vucevic post touches are key.

Patrick Williams breakout game?

It’s unknown if Patrick Williams will start or not Wednesday night against the Pacers. Patrick Williams has not gotten off to a rough start, averaging 5.3 points and shooting 32% from the field. He could not get any shots to fall early on Monday, but Williams being aggressive was a great sign. After the game, Billy Donavon said Williams took a step forward against Boston, “he played really well in the third quarter, which was encouraging to me. I felt like he responded.”

Williams has a good chance of having a breakout game on both sides of the ball against a rebuilding Indiana Pacers team. Chicago could change their starting lineup on Wednesday, but Williams should start again and get opportunities to score early. “He’s a great kid, and I think he has really incredible potential in the future, and you know we all believe in him, and this is a process,” said Donovan.

No days off

Even though the Indiana Pacers are in a rebuild and have lost three out of their first four games, Chicago can not fall asleep after their big win against the defeating Eastern Conference Champions, Boston Celtics. Every win matters this season, especially with how stacked the Eastern Conference is this season. The Bulls can not afford to play down to their competition.

You can not rule out the Pacers from winning this game; Indiana has a chance of their big man Myles Turner returning from an ankle injury, who is questionable for Wednesday’s contest. Indiana is top ten in the NBA with 117.8 points per game and 47.5 rebounds per game.

Injury Report

Bulls

Player	Injury	Status
Lonzo Ball	Knee	Out

Pacers

Player	Injury	Status
Myles Turner	Ankle	Questionable
Daniel Thesis	Knee	Questionable

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