GAME NIGHT FROM THE UNITED CENTER
Indiana (2-1) AT BULLS ( 1-2)
TV: NBC SPORTS CHICAGO: Neil Funk and Stacey King - 7PM
RADIO: 670 THE SCORE: Chuck Swirsky, Bill Wennington and Steve Kashul - 7PM
LEADING SCORERS: Bulls: Portis: 18ppg. Pacers: Oladipo: 23ppg
LEADING REBOUNDERS: Bulls: Parker: 7 per. Pacers: Sabonis 12 per.
LEADING ASSISTS: Bulls: Payne 4 per. Pacers: Sabonis: 12 per.
CCI PREVIEW:
The Bulls will face their stiffest test of the preseason tonight as the Pacers roll in to the United Center fresh off a win Monday in Cleveland. The Pacers pride themselves on defense and with Victor Oladipo emerging as a tremendous two way star, good days are ahead for Indiana. The Pacers may not be favored to win the Eastern Conference but this could be a very dangerous playoff team should they enter mid April a healthy, deep team. Oladipo , now in his second season with Indiana is a gifted player and has thrived in his role as the leader of the ball club. Certain players want to be “the guy” but can’t handle the bright lights of performing on a nightly stage, Oladipo can. Domantas Sabonis is getting better and better and his game has evolved taking less three point field goals. The same can be said of Myles Turner. The Pacers did a nice job in the off season adding Tyreke Evans, Doug McDermott, Kyle O’Quinn and first round pick Aaron Holiday, the younger brother of the Bulls’ Justin. I’m expecting 47-50 wins for the Pacers this season.
The Bulls need to value possessions and take care of the basketball after committing 19 turnovers leading to 21 Charlotte points in their Monday 110-104 loss. The Bulls also need to do a better defensive job early in games after surrendering their third straight 60 point first half. Shot selection was a worrisome area of concern on Monday as well. The Bulls played in spurts and failed to play a full 48 minutes of consistent ball. That must change starting tonight. In addition to being on local TV, ESPN has picked up the game so look for both teams to play with an extra edge. Trust me, players are human and with friends and family watching across the globe no one wants to be embarrassed.
CCI 24 SECONDS NBA NEWS AND NOTES:
The Athletic is reporting Jimmy Butler has reiterated his request for a trade out of Minnesota.
LAC 109 Denver 103. Boban Marjanovic is a very large human being at 7-3, 290 lbs grabbing 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Clippers. Denver is at the United Center Friday.
Deonte Burton was the main man for OKC in OT as the Thunder held off the Bucks 119-115. Burton, from Milwaukee scored 16 points. The Bucks rested four starters.
A winning team and a new building is a great recipe for success at the box office and that’s certainly the case in Milwaukee. The Bucks announced they’ve sold a new franchise record 10-thousand season seats.
Houston 128 Shanghai 86.
Last night at the United Center, the Bulls and Blackhawks entertained our valued Premium Seating Members. In attendance were staff members from our respective teams along with current and former players. It was a rare opportunity to see the two head coaches cross paths in Fred Hoiberg and Joel Quenneville.
Thanks for reading CCI. E mail me at cswirsky@bulls.com or Twitter @ctsbulls