Chicago Bulls vs. Indiana Pacers: 5 Takeaways

Bench Mob 2.0 Excels

The Bulls reserves came to play tonight.

The group that’s coming to be known as the Bench Mob 2.0 added 58 points to the final score, and the lineup of Michael Carter-Williams – Dwyane. Wade – McDermott – Nikola. Mirotic – Cristiano Felicio was on fire in the second quarter. They were responsible for the 16-0 run that effectively put the game away before halftime.

With the Pacers missing bench contributors Rodney Stuckey and (former Bull) Aaron Brooks, the Bulls were doing whatever they wanted while the starters rested. McDermott and Mirotic provided great spacing and Wade and Carter-Williams provided the playmaking to make that five-man unit a lineup that we could potentially see Hoiberg go to with some regularity, provided that they can hold down the fort defensively.

We also saw the regular season debuts of rookies Denzel Valentine and Paul Zipser as well as sophomore Bobby Portis. Although their minutes were relegated to garbage time, Portis got his first basket of the season and also rocked a black headband, taking advantage of the Bulls new headband-friendly policy (Thanks Rajon).