GAME NIGHT FROM THE UNITED CENTER:
Indiana (37-25, 16-15 on the road) at Bulls (21-41, 13-19 at home)
TV: NBCSC: Neil Funk and Stacey King. 7PM.
RADIO: 670 The Score: Chuck Swirsky, Bill Wennington, and David Schuster. 6:45 pre.
LEADING SCORERS: Bulls: Markkanen: 15 ppg. Indiana: Warren: 18 ppg.
LEADING REBOUNDERS: Bulls: Carter: 9 per. Indiana: Sabonis: 12 per.
LEADING ASSISTS: Bulls: Satoransky: 5 per.
SEASON SERIES: Indiana 3-0.
PREVIEW: The Bulls and Pacers meet for the fourth and final time as the Pacers have dominated the series winning eight straight and 11 of 12. Zach LaVine will miss his third straight game with a quad injury. Without LaVine in the lineup, the Bulls need others to step up and be aggressive attacking the rim. The Bulls went to the foul line only 11 times in a loss at Minnesota.
Coby White is coming off a big game against Minnesota, pouring in 26 points. He has scored 20+ in five of the last six games.
Overlooked in the Bulls loss at Minnesota was the play of Shaq Harrison. Shaq is the consummate professional. He could sit for four games, then play 30 minutes the next. He brings tenacity and passion to the game.
Indiana is plodding through the remaining five weeks of the season hoping to get healthy by the time the playoffs begin in mid-April. Victor Oladipo has played in just ten games after missing an entire year with a knee injury. He's been sidelined the last two games with knee soreness. Malcolm Brogdon left Wednesday game with a hip injury. He has missed 13 games this year with an assortment of ailments. When healthy, Brogdon is a terrific talent. The Pacers need a healthy Brogdon and Oladipo if they expect to make any noise in the postseason.
24 SECONDS NBA NEWS AND NOTES:
Los Angeles Clippers 120, Houston 105: Don't look now, but the Clippers have won six straight.
Philadelphia 125, Sacramento 108: The 76ers won their first road game in more than a month.
Toronto 121, Golden State 113: Steph Curry returned after being sidelined 58 games with a broken hand. Curry scored 23 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out seven assists. The Raps are headed to the playoffs for the seventh straight season.
Denver 114, Charlotte 112: Jamal Murray nailed a 13 footer with five seconds left as the Nuggets rallied from an eight-point, fourth-quarter deficit.
Thanks for reading CCI. Reach out: cswirsky@bulls.com or Twitter @ctsbulls
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