Chicago Bulls: Win over Pacers proof of positive change coming

On the night of Feb. 15, first-year head coach Billy Donovan and his Chicago Bulls squad proved that they could hang with one of the better teams in their division that they’ve struggled mightily with in the past by beating the Indiana Pacers. It did take overtime for Donovan and the Bulls to work past the Pacers on the road on Feb. 15, winning by the final score of 120-112.

This game went back and forth down the stretch, with the Pacers not going away no matter what Bulls star shooting guard Zach LaVine did on the offensive end of the floor. It was LaVine that was once again largely the spark plug that led the Bulls attack on the offensive end of the floor. But staving off the likes of point guard Malcolm Brogdon, big man Domantas Sabonis, and center Myles Turner, is usually going to be a big challenge.

The underdog Bulls rode a game-high 30 points from LaVine to notch the eight-point win when it was all said and done. LaVine also registered nine rebounds, three assists, no steals, no blocks, and four turnovers. And he shot 11-of-25 from the field, 4-of-9 from beyond the arc, and 4-of-6 from the free-throw line.

While turnovers were a big problem for the Bulls in this game, both teams struggled in that department at times. The Bulls turned the ball over a whopping 18 times in this game, while the Pacers turned it over 19. At least the Bulls narrowly won the turnover battle in the end.

How the Chicago Bulls beat the Pacers

What is unusual for the Bulls against a team like the Pacers is outrebounding them the way they did. The Bulls amassed a whopping 60 rebounds in this game, compared to 47 for Indy. That was largely thanks to a combined 27 rebounds between LaVine, third-year center Wendell Carter Jr., and rookie forward Patrick Williams.

Moreover, the Pacers were largely a two-man effort on the boards. Brogdon amassed an impressive 15 boards, along with 15 from Sabonis.

As a whole, the Bulls were able to make things tough for Sabonis. He registered a season-high eight turnovers, and shot just 36.8 percent from the field (with only two attempts coming from beyond the arc out of 19 total). The return to the rotation of WCJ played a big role for the Bulls, as did a solid defensive effort from second-year center Daniel Gafford.

It is worth mentioning the vital role that WCJ played on both ends of the floor in this win for the Bulls. He registered 11 points, nine rebounds, one assist, and one steal. That came while shooting an efficient 4-of-7 from the field, and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line.

The way that the likes of WCJ and veteran forward Thaddeus Young are able to see the court playing in the frontcourt rotation is pivotal to make Donovan’s offensive system work. Gafford doesn’t possess the same court vision that Young and WCJ do.

This win for the Bulls over the Pacers in overtime on the road kicks off this road trip on the right foot. The Bulls now sport a record of 11-15 following this win over the Pacers. They have also now won three of their last four games.

Next up for LaVine and the Bulls is a meeting with the Philadelphia 76ers on the road on Feb. 19. They could potentially have a matchup with the Detroit Pistons on Feb. 17, which would take the place of the delayed meeting with the Charlotte Hornets on the road.