With disappointment rapidly becoming the norm in Chicago, the Bulls fell to the Indiana Pacers 111-101. The game took place right in the middle of a new batch of drama involving Fred Hoiberg’s job security, and the end result will likely only make things worse. Let’s break down the game to see if we can determine what exactly went wrong.
It was another eyesore in Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Friday afternoon as the Indiana Pacers toppled the Chicago Bulls 111-101. The Bulls managed to make it a game for a few minutes in the fourth quarter, but otherwise this contest was firmly in the Pacers’ control from start to finish.
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The game started with a 12-4 Pacer run, in which the Bulls had more turnovers than field goal attempts (that would last until about four minutes left in the first quarter), and it ended with a 14-4 Pacer run in which Paul George reminded us that he’s actually pretty great at basketball.
Jeff Teague for the Pacers recorded 17 assists in the game, the most by any Pacer since 2002.
The Bulls had 17 assists total.
Former Bull Aaron Brooks also continued his trend of only playing well against the Bulls, sinking a pair of crucial 3-pointers for Indiana in the second half. Against Chicago this season, Brooks is 7-for-10 from deep. Against everyone else, he’s 14-for-55, about 25 percent.
There’s a lot to unpack from today’s game, so let’s go through some of the most salient points one by one. First up, the defense.