GAME DAY FROM INDIANA:
Bulls (2-4, 1-3 on the road) at Indiana (2-3, 1-1 at home)
TV: NBCSC: Neil Funk and Stacey King. 4PM CT. RADIO: Chuck Swirsky, Bill Wennington and David Schuster: 3:45 CT pre.
LEADING SCORERS: Bulls: LaVine: 21ppg. Indiana: Brogdon: 22 per. LEADING REBOUNDERS: Bulls: Carter: 9 per. Indiana: Sabonis: 11 per LEADING ASSISTS: Bulls: Satoransky: 4 per. Indiana: Brogdon: 10 per.
CCI PREVIEW: One thing is for certain, Indiana's Malcom Brogdon will have his hands on the ball a lot this afternoon as the Pacers host the Bulls. With Victor Oladipo sidelined with a right leg injury sustained last year, Indiana went shopping for a point guard in the off season and consummated a sign and trade with the Bucks bringing Brogdon to the "Hoosier" state. He has not disappointed. The former University of Virginia star is averaging 22 points and 10 assists per game. The Bulls won't have to deal with Myles Turner who is out indefinitely with an ankle injury but they will have to match the physicality of Domantas Sabonis who is coming off an 18 points 17 rebounds game Friday against the Cavaliers. The Sabonis-Wendell Carter Jr. matchup is an intriguing one. Carter Jr. is playing excellent basketball and has become a major piece in the Bulls development. For the Bulls to have any chance of making the playoffs, Carter Jr. must remain healthy.
The Bulls managed to execute down the stretch in their win over the Pistons as Zach LaVine stepped up scoring 10 points in the final 3:30. It was a confidence booster to say the least for LaVine and the Bulls. Rebounding remains an issue but for now the Bulls look to build off Friday's win. Otto Porter Jr. has put together back to back strong outings as he has become much more involved in the team's offense early in the opening quarter.
LaVine scores 26 Points in Win over Pistons
CCI 24 SECONDS NBA NEWS AND NOTES:
Milwaukee 115 Toronto 105. The Bucks playing in the second game of a back to back got a huge game from Giannis Antetokounmpo: 33-15- 8. Kyle Lowry had 36-4-6 for the Raps.
Phoenix 114 Memphis. The Grizzlies lost but rookie Ja Morant continues to impress with 24 points and 7 assists. The Suns are 4-2.
Philadelphia 129 Portland 128. The now 5-0 76ers, playing without the suspended Joel Embiid, rallied from a 21 point deficit as Furman Korkmaz buried a game winning three ball with 0.4 seconds left. According to The Athletic, Portland's Zach Collins will undergo shoulder surgery.
Oklahoma City 115 New Orleans 104. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with an impressive 23-8-4 line for the Thunder.
Denver 91 Orlando 87. The Nuggets snapped a mini two game losing streak.
Charlotte 93 Golden State 87. The Warriors fell to 1-5. Golden State's Draymond Green is now sidelined with a torn ligament in his left index finger. The Warriors played without one player who was on the team's roster a year ago.
Minnesota 131 Washington 109. The Wolves without the suspended KAT improved to 4-1. The Wizards dropped to 1-4.
Detroit 113 Brooklyn 109. Andre Drummond with another 20-20 game.. are you serious? 25 points and 20 rebounds. That's three straight and four of seven games. Bruce Brown had a career night in points and assists with a 22-7 game. Reggie Jackson has a stress reaction in his lower back and will be out for at least four weeks. The Pistons played without Derrick Rose, Tim Frazier and Blake Griffin. Griffin will be re-evaluated in early November.
Utah's Ed Davis has a fractured left fibula and will be re-evaluated in four weeks.
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