The Chicago Bulls get their second straight win with a 124-109 win over the Indiana Pacers. Zach Lavine had his first 25+ point performance of the season with 28 points, six rebounds, five assists, and 6-for-8 from three. Lavine and the second unit once again provided the spark to keep their lead in double-digits halfway late in the third quarter. That includes a three-pointer to extend the lead to 17, 112-95, with 9:35 left in the fourth quarter.
DeMar DeRozan struggled, going 6-for-14 from the field, and got into foul trouble with five fouls but got 17 points and six assists. Patrick Williams scored in double-digits for the first time this season with 10 points, going 2-for-2 from three and two steals in 15 minutes. Williams got the start and played at the beginning of the third quarter. Nikola Vucevic contributed with 14 points and seven rebounds. Ayo Dosunmu finished the game with 12 points and seven points.
Beautiful Start by Chicago
The Bulls took advantage of the Pacers’ first-quarter struggles with a 22-7 run started by Vucevic and Lavine threes. Chicago shot 58.3% from the field in the first quarter, with their biggest lead being 15 points during the quarter with a score of 30-15. When the bench unit entered the game, the Bulls extended their lead to as big as 24 points during the first half.
The Bulls’ second unit has proved why they are the best bench in the NBA with their high-energy players, cough cough, Javonte Green, who finished the game with eight points and rebounds. Also, the duo of Andre Drummond and Goran Dragic continues to stay strong, dating back to last season when they played together in Brooklyn. Drummond got a near double-double with eight points and 13 rebounds. Dragic was the only Bulls bench player to score in double-digits with 13 points, including two back-to-back threes to extend the Bulls’ lead to 14, 109-95, in the fourth quarter.
Indiana make comeback
The Pacers have lost the first quarter by double-digits in the first five games but have rallied from double-digit leads in a couple of games, including this game against Chicago. The Bulls were up by as much as 24 points during the second quarter. But with a Pacers 28-14 run to begin the third quarter, they trimmed the lead down to nine points, 92-85. Indiana got back in the game because of their young core, and Buddy Hield, with 13 points in the third quarter, finished the game with 25 points.
The second-year guard, Tyrese Haliburton, got a double-double of 17 points and 11 assists. Jalen Smith got 15 points, going 3-for-5 from three. In his first game of the season, Myles Turner got five points and six rebounds in 24 limited minutes. Off the bench, the Pacers rookie Bennedict Mathurin got 15 points against the Bulls but struggled, going 3-for-11 from the field and had the worst plus/minus of the night at -18.
Final Thoughts
DeMar DeRozan is 7 points away from 20,000
DeMar DeRozan will look to get to the 20K points club on Friday against his former team, San Antonio Spurs. DeRozan has averaged 22.2 points against the Spurs in his career and should 100% reach the 20K club on Friday. DeRozan needs only seven points after scoring 17 against the Pacers. Only 49 players in NBA history have scored at least 20,000 points in their NBA career. “I think DeMar DeRozan is a Hall of Famer,” Lavine said postgame.
Pacers do not give up
Even though Indiana was down as much as 24 points, they fought hard to get back in the game in the third quarter shooting 66.7% from the field. Indiana is young and is playing with the nothing to lose type of energy. The good news for the Pacers is the return of Myles Turner, and he should get back to his double-double ways on Friday. Indiana will travel to face the Wizards on Friday and play on ESPN.
Up Next
Chicago go on the road to face San Antonio on Friday.
Indiana continues road trip in Washington on Friday
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