Pacers-Bulls Preview

By JEFF MEZYDLO
Posted Dec 03 2012 12:11PM

With each team's star player out because of a knee injury, the Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers have struggled to sustain consistent success.

Trying for a season-high third consecutive victory, the Bulls will be minus another starting guard Tuesday night when they look to continue their recent home dominance of the Pacers.

Chicago (8-7) expected to struggle at times while Derrick Rose recovers from a torn ACL, but it has won three of four following a three-game skid. Veteran Richard Hamilton, however, will join Rose on the inactive list for the time being because of torn tissue in his left foot.

Second on the team averaging 13.9 points, Hamilton hit 3 of 4 free throws in the final 20 seconds Saturday after sustaining the injury and finished with 15 points in the Bulls' 93-88 win over Philadelphia.

Though Hamilton's absence presents another obstacle for Chicago - Marco Belinelli and Jimmy Butler are the candidates to step in - the club remains confident.

"In the past three years with (coach Tom Thibodeau), we showed as the season went along we got better as a team," forward Luol Deng told the Bulls' official website. "I expect us as a team to improve. We're coming on to 20 games when teams start to show what they can do."

Deng had 25 points, seven assists and seven rebounds Saturday while Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah each scored 12 and combined for 25 boards. The Bulls held the 76ers to 3-of-12 shooting from 3-point range and outrebounded them 50-37, following up last week's rout of Dallas to win back-to-back games at the United Center for the first time this season.

Chicago has limited its last four opponents to an average of 86.3 points on 42.0 percent shooting after yielding 100.6 on 46.1 percent from the field while losing four of the previous five.

"The thing for us is to concentrate on improvement," Thibodeau said. "We are moving in the right direction. We are still not a 48-minute team. There were stretches where we played well defensively, we have to do it consistently throughout the game."

The Bulls have managed to consistently play well defensively while holding Indiana to 92.4 points per game on 42.0 percent shooting to win 14 of 16 at home in the Central Division rivalry, including playoffs. Deng has averaged 19.5 points on 49.1 percent shooting while playing in 13 of those games.

Indiana (8-9) continues to play without star Danny Granger, who is likely to miss another two months because of a left knee problem. Despite ranking near the bottom of the NBA with 90.9 points per contest, the Pacers have managed to hover around .500 because they are among the best in points allowed (91.9) while averaging a league-high 47.4 rebounds.

Indiana had won two in a row and five of seven before falling 103-92 at Golden State on Saturday. David West scored 23 points and George Hill added 19, but Paul George missed seven shots and did not score while the Pacers grabbed a season-low 36 boards.

Despite the defeat, West (17.8 ppg) continues to help fill the scoring void left by Granger. He's averaging 23.0 points on 58.5 percent shooting in his last six games.

"He's playing at an All-Star level right now," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "There's no other way to look at it. He's carrying the load."

West, however, has averaged 11.4 points on 32.4 percent shooting in his last five at Chicago.

George scores 34 to lead Pacers over Bulls 80-76

By TRAVIS MILLER
Posted Dec 04 2012 11:43PM

CHICAGO (AP) Paul George has found himself a new routine.

After laying a goose-egg his last time out, George scored 34 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead the Indiana Pacers to an 80-76 win over the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night.

Roy Hibbert added 10 points, 11 rebounds and a game-saving block for Indiana, which closed a four-game road trip with three victories.

The Bulls, who failed to win three straight for the first time this season, were able to keep David West, Indiana's leading scorer, in check - but George picked up the slack.

George scored 10 points in the first quarter, highlighted by a thunderous dunk as George Hill's 3-point attempt bounced up off the back of the rim. It was George's best performance since scoring a career-high 37 points Nov. 21 against New Orleans. George went scoreless Saturday at Golden State, missing all seven of his shots.

"I'm always my worst critic," George said. "When we got back, we had the day off and I knew that I needed to work. I headed over to the gym, put up 500 shots, mixed it up from floaters to mid-range to 3-pointers. That's something that's got to be a routine for me."

Up two points in the closing seconds, Hibbert was the recipient of a controversial no-call that sent the home crowd into a frenzy. Luol Deng drove along the base line and was rejected by Hibbert, falling to the floor as West grabbed the rebound to send the Pacers back to the line to ice the game.

Hibbert stayed in Indiana over the summer to work on defense with his coaches. Coach Frank Vogel was ecstatic to see it pay off.

"You're allowed to jump straight up," Vogel explained. "No matter where you are, you're allowed to jump straight up and absorb contact."

Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau saw it differently.

"In my eyes, (Deng) got wiped out," Thibodeau said. "I'm not going to put it on the officials. We've still got to get it done. Tough call went against us."

Hibbert had little offensive impact in the first half, scoring two points, but used his size to take over in the third quarter when Indiana outscored Chicago 25-18. Then he put the game away with his defense.

"I do that all the time," Hibbert said about the play on Deng. "I jump straight up and take the contact. I play defense. That's my staple. If my offense isn't going, I always have to play defense. I want to make the all-defensive team this year."

Hibbert has blocked at least two shots in 12 straight games.

Nate Robinson fired up the crowd with a trio of baskets on successive possessions midway through the fourth quarter to give the Bulls their first lead since early in the third, but Chicago could not pull it out, thanks in part to 19 turnovers.

Robinson came off the bench and scored 19 points, and Carlos Boozer notched his seventh double-double in nine games with 14 points and 10 rebounds for Chicago.

"Something we have to do is take care of the ball down the stretch," Robinson said. "For this loss, I definitely take the blame. Down the stretch I have to be smarter with the ball and make the right plays and execute."

Three of Robinson's four turnovers came in the fourth quarter.

West reached double-digits for a ninth straight game for Indiana, but his 10 points were a far cry from the 23 he had averaged over his last six games.

Indiana shot 31.6 percent from the floor in the first half, including 1 of 5 from behind the arc. The Pacers continued to struggle from long range, hitting 2 of 10 attempts, but tightened up inside, shooting over 40 percent in the second half.

Chicago shot 38.4 percent from the floor.

Both teams struggling from the field was little surprise, as Indiana (90.9 points allowed per game) and Chicago (94.4) came into the contest boasting two of the top-five defenses in the NBA.

Marco Belinelli scored six points with an assist and a turnover in his first start for Chicago, playing in place of the injured Richard Hamilton. Hamilton is out indefinitely after suffering a torn plantar fascia in his left foot during Saturday's 93-88 win over Philadelphia.

Hamilton's injury left the Bulls even thinner at the guard position, with former MVP Derrick Rose sidelined due to surgery in May to repair a torn ACL in his left knee.

NOTES: Rose was seen shooting around at the United Center earlier Tuesday, but Thibodeau remained stalwart in his preseason resolution to avoid talking about Rose's rehab at length. `'Derrick's focused on his rehab, we're focused on our improvement and our opponent. So he's doing fine," Thibodeau said. ... Vogel acknowledged F/C Tyler Hansbrough's struggle to adjust to decreased minutes. Hansbrough came in averaging just 6.5 points per game and went scoreless on Saturday against Golden State, missing all five field goal attempts. `'He's got to figure it out," Vogel said.

Notebook: Pacers 80, Bulls 76

Kent McDill, for NBA.com
Posted Tue Dec 04, 2012 11:38 PM - Updated Wed Dec 05, 2012 8:19 AM

THE FACTS: Three days after going scoreless in 29 minutes against Golden State, Indiana forward Paul George scored 34 points to lead the visiting Indiana Pacers to an 80-76 taffy pull of a victory over the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday. David West and Roy Hibbert added 10 points each for the Pacers. Nate Robinson came off the bench to lead the Bulls with 19 points. Carlos Boozer had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulls.

THE FACTS II: The Pacers led by nine points late in the third quarter, but the Bulls fought back to take a 74-70 lead with 3:37 left in the game. The Pacers tightened up defensively and pulled out the victory.

QUOTABLE: "It's always fun to play (the Bulls). It's two great coaches going head to head and playing a chess game out there. It's just fun for me to find the wrinkles in their defense and take advantage."
-- George

THE STAT: Neither team managed to shoot 40 percent for the game -- Indiana was 29-for-80 (36.3 percent), Chicago was 28-for-73 (38.4 percent). But George was 14-for-25 after going 2-for-18 in his previous two games.

THE STAT II: The Bulls committed 19 turnovers to just 12 for the Pacers. The Pacers were credited with 10 steals and four blocked shots.

THE STAT III: Starting in place of injured guard Rip Hamilton, Marco Belinelli scored six points in 24 minutes of play.

TURNING POINT: With the Pacers ahead 78-76, Bulls forward Luol Deng drove the baseline from the right with six seconds remaining and ran into Indiana center Roy Hibbert. Although there was contact, no foul was called, and Indiana completed the victory.

INJURY UPDATE: Bulls guard Derrick Rose did some shooting on the United Center floor before fans were allowed to enter. Asked about Rose's condition before the game, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau tersely replied "Derrick is focused on his rehab. We are focused on improving. Derrick is fine."

INJURY UPDATE II: Hamilton has a torn plantar fascia in his left foot, suffered in the game against Philadelphia on Saturday. Return time has been estimated from one to three weeks.

HOT: It took George 90 seconds to get his first basket, then he scored 10 points in the first nine minutes of the game. He also had 11 points in the fourth quarter.

NOT: Indiana's Tyler Hansbrough continues to struggle, and missed all four of his shots Tuesday. He is 0-for-9 in his last two games.

QUOTABLE II: "In my eyes, he got wiped out. He had a layup. It was a train wreck. (But) I am not going to put it on the officials. A tough call went against us. We still have to get it done."
-- Thibodeau, talking about Deng's late drive to the basket

QUOTABLE III: "He is the best in the league in exercising verticality. That is what earns him the no-calls."
-- Indiana coach Frank Vogel, talking about Roy Hibbert's defense on the last play

GOOD MOVE: Needing offense to get back into the game, Thibodeau went with Nate Robinson at point guard rather than starter Kirk Hinrich. Robinson had 13 of his 19 points in the last 13 minutes of the game.

NOTABLE: The Pacers played 12 of their first 18 games on the road. They start a stretch of four home games out of the next five contests Wednesday. ... The Bulls have yet to win three games in a row this season. ... The Pacers outrebounded the Bulls on the offensive glass 16-13. ... George added three assists and two blocks.

UP NEXT: For the Bulls, Wednesday @ Cleveland, Friday @ Detroit, Saturday vs. New York. For the Pacers, Wednesday vs. Portland, Friday vs. Denver, Sunday @ Oklahoma City.

• Pacers: Granger, Plumlee
• Bulls: Hamilton, Rose

• Pacers: --
• Bulls: Noah

• Lead Changes: 7
• Times Tied: 12

• Arena: United Center, Chicago, IL
• Officials: #15 Bennett Salvatore, #6 Tony Brown, #29 Mark Lindsay
• Attendance: 21152
• Duration: 2:19