Game Rewind: Pacers 129, Bulls 132 (OT)

Wednesday, March 13 at 7:30 PM ET at Gainbridge Fieldhouse

The Pacers appeared on their way to a third straight win on Wednesday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, but DeMar DeRozan had other ideas.

The Bulls' star guard improbably forced overtime with three points in the final 3.8 seconds of regulation, then scored Chicago's first eight points in the extra session to lift the visitors to a 132-129 win.

DeRozan scored a season-high 46 points for the Bulls (32-34) in the win, going 15-for-24 from the field and 15-for-17 from the free throw line.

That was just enough to deny Indiana (37-30) a third straight win and spoiled a spectacular crunch-time shooting performance by Pacers center Myles Turner, who hit four threes that either tied the game or put Indiana in front in the final 1:20 of regulation and overtime.

Turner finished with a team-high 27 points and seven rebounds for the Pacers in the loss, going 9-for-14 from the field and 5-for-8 from 3-point range.

After forcing overtime with a baseline jumper with 0.3 seconds left in regulation, DeRozan knocked down another jumper on the opening possession of the extra session.

Turner's 3-pointer with 3:53 remaining put Indiana back in front, but DeRozan converted a three-point play at 2:57 as the Bulls retook the lead. Turner hit another clutch three 11 seconds later, only for DeRozan to answer with a trey of his own despite 6-foot-8 Pascal Siakam being right in his face with 2:17 remaining.

After Andrew Nembhard missed a three, Nikola Vucevic converted a runner with 1:22 remaining to make it a two-possession game. Tyrese Haliburton's layup with 1:02 to play cut the deficit back to two, but Ayo Dosunmu got to the rim for a bucket of his own with 44.2 seconds left.

The Pacers answered quickly after a timeout, with Siakam converting a layup with 40.8 seconds remaining. But on the other end, Alex Caruso found former Pacer Torrey Craig under the basket with 24.2 seconds to play.

After Haliburton drew a foul and hit two free throws with 13.1 seconds left, the Pacers were forced to play the foul game and sent DeRozan to the line. The 34-year-old had missed just one of his first 15 free throws, but left the door open for Indiana by making his first but missing his second.

Turner corralled the rebound and the Pacers raced down the court and Haliburton had a look from the right wing at a three to force double overtime, but his attempt came up short as Chicago survived.

"Our defense just wasn't good enough," Turner said. "Obviously, DeRozan hit some big shots and is a special player. But as a whole, I don't think we were there just that last part.

"These are tough nights with back-to-backs, but this time of year it's no excuses. We've just got to find a way to get it done, give ourselves a fighting chance. And we came up short."

Haliburton had 17 points and 14 assists for Indiana in the loss, while Siakam added 17 points, nine rebounds, two blocks, and two steals.

Caruso finished with 23 points, seven boards, and seven assists for Chicago, going 9-for-13 from the field and 5-for-6 from 3-point range. Dosunmu added 20 points, four rebounds, and three assists.

After Indiana opened the fourth quarter with an 11-1 run to turn an eight-point deficit into a two-point lead, the Pacers and Bulls traded the lead nine times over a five-minute span.

Aaron Nesmith's 3-pointer put Indiana in front 107-105 with 4:26 remaining, but Craig answered with a corner three just before the shot clock expired as Chicago retook the lead with 3:57 to play.

After both teams failed to score on their next two possessions, Coby White intercepted a cross-court pass from Obi Toppin and raced ahead for a layup that pushed the Bulls' lead to three with 2:14 remaining.

Haliburton drew a foul on White on the other end and knocked down both free throws at 1:50, but Dosunmu answered by converting a fadeaway runner over Siakam with 1:33 to play.

That's when Turner took over. The Pacers center knocked down a three from the left wing with 1:20 remaining to knot the game at 112. After Dosunmu missed a trey on the other end, Haliburton found Turner spotting up at the top of the arc for the go-ahead triple with 55.1 seconds left in the game.

After a timeout, DeRozan got to the rim for a layup to make it a one-point game with 47.1 seconds remaining. After Indiana ran down the shot clock, Nembhard missed a three, but the rebound was deflected out of bounds by Chicago with 23.5 seconds to play.

After a Pacers timeout, Nembhard had another open look, but couldn't get it to fall. Turner tried to tap the rebound back out to Haliburton, but White corralled it and seemed destined for a go-ahead layup in the final seconds. But Siakam hustled back and somehow swatted White's shot toward the Indiana bench.

White was injured on the play and remained down for a good minute before being helped to the visiting locker room. He did not return.

Nembhard scooped up the rebound and threw it ahead to Nesmith, who was fouled and hit both free throws with 5.5 seconds remaining.

Up three, Indiana elected to foul DeRozan with 3.8 seconds to play. He made the first free throw and intentionally missed the second. Pacers forward Obi Toppin got a hand on the rebound, but knocked it out of bounds with 2.4 seconds left.

Inbounding from the right sideline, Caruso passed to DeRozan on the near baseline. The six-time All-Star hoisted a fadeaway jumper over two defenders and swished it to force overtime.

His heroics continued in the extra session as the Bulls ultimately prevailed.

"We were one rebound away," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said. "Then they got a chance at the end and DeRozan made a shot and we're in overtime.

"Disappointing. It's a gut punch. Unfortunately, this is all part of (playing) meaningful games. When you make minor mistakes at the wrong times, it can really bite you. And there were a lot of them, myself included. We've got to learn from it and get ready for Saturday (against Brooklyn)."

With the loss, the Pacers drop back into seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings with 15 games remaining. The top six teams at the end of the regular season advance to the playoffs, while the teams in seventh through 10th place must compete in the Play-In Tournament for the conference's final two playoff berths.

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Chicago used an early 11-2 run to build a lead they maintained for most of the opening frame on Wednesday, taking a 30-28 lead into the second quarter.

The Blue & Gold surged ahead early in the ensuing frame thanks to a 15-1 run. Rookie forward Jarace Walker played a key role in the stretch, scoring seven points.

The Pacers pushed the margin to as high as 11 points, but the Bulls closed the half with a 9-2 run — capped by Caruso's 3-pointer just before the buzzer — to make it a four-point game at the break.

Caruso's shooting stroke carried over after the intermission. The seven-year veteran knocked down three more threes in the first six minutes of the third quarter then added a layup at the 5:19 mark as Chicago outscored Indiana 22-11 to open the second half and move back in front.

Carlisle took a timeout following Caruso's layup and the Pacers in an 80-73 hole. T.J. McConnell hit a three after the stoppage to trim the deficit back to four, but Caruso answered immediately with his fourth triple of the quarter.

The visitors stretched their lead as high as 10 points, though the Pacers chipped away in an eventful close to the third quarter. With Indiana trailing 91-81, Jalen Smith drew a foul on Andre Drummond with 11 seconds left in the frame. He hit both free throws, then McConnell stole the inbounds pass. He missed a layup off the steal, but Smith was there to clean it up and make it 91-85 with 5.7 seconds remaining in the quarter.

But the Bulls raced back down the court and rookie forward Onuralp Bitim banked in a runner just ahead of the buzzer to push Chicago's lead back to eight entering the fourth quarter.

But that short spurt from the Blue & Gold was a portent of what was to come at the start of the fourth quarter. Indiana dominated the opening minutes of the frame, outscoring the Bulls 11-1 over the first 2:15.

On the defensive end, the Pacers were flying around, forcing turnovers and missed shots. On the other end, they capitalized on Chicago's drought.

Siakam found Smith in front of the Indiana bench for a game-tying three at 10:29, then scored the go-ahead layup at 9:45, forcing a timeout from Chicago head coach Billy Donovan.

After the timeout, White's three at 9:27 put the Bulls back in front. The two teams would go back and forth for the next several minutes, setting the stage for a memorable ending.

Eight Pacers reached double figures on the night for Indiana. McConnell had 16 points, four rebounds, four assists, and two steals off the bench, while fellow reserves Smith (15 points and six boards) and Walker (10 points and four rebounds) also topped double figures.

Nesmith added 13 points on 3-of-7 3-point shooting but picked up his sixth foul sending DeRozan to the line at the end of regulation and was unavailable in overtime.

White had 15 points, four rebounds, and two steals for Chicago before his injury late in regulation. Vucevic recorded a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds, while Craig tallied 10 points and five rebounds off the bench.

After a couple days off, the Pacers will be back in action on Saturday night against Brooklyn before wrapping up a three-game homestand on Monday against Cleveland.

Turner surpassed 20 points for the 24th time this season and the third time in his last five contests.

Haliburton recorded his team-leading 38th double-double of the year. He is tied with Vucevic for the second-most double-doubles in the Eastern Conference, trailing only Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo (50).

Smith scored in double figures off the bench for the third time in his last four games.

Walker, the eighth overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, reached double figures for the third time in his young career.

The Pacers' bench outscored Chicago's reserves, 47-16.

DeRozan's 46 points tied for the fourth-highest output of his career.

Caruso's 23 points were a new season high. His previous best this season was 19 on Nov. 8 against Phoenix.

"A lot of things were very positive. Myles getting open for those two threes that got us a three-point lead, those were huge plays. And those were plays playing off of our best players." -Carlisle on his takeaways from crunch time

"Me and Ty obviously made some good plays, just high pick-and-pop and roll. It's been a good combination for us all year. I hit some big shots. But it just wasn't enough." -Turner on his shotmaking late in regulation and in overtime

"I think we executed right. DeMar DeRozan is DeMar DeRozan. A mid-range killer, a future Hall of Famer. You've got to give props sometimes. Sometimes it's like they say -- great defense, better offense. Can't blame it on a single person. He's just a great player." -Smith on late-game execution

"We had to commit two to him on a lot of those plays. When we didn't, he was scoring or getting fouled. Players like that put you in a bind." -Carlisle on defending DeRozan in overtime

"I thought our second unit really played at a high level. We didn't have a great start, they got us the lead in the second quarter. And then we were down going into the fourth and they got us the lead there. It was a rollercoaster." -Carlisle on the bench's contributions

"We did our job...Everybody played their part. We hit shots, we got stops. Just keeping that energy up and keeping everybody in the game." -Smith on the second unit

"I thought he played well. He played well last night. Tonight there were more minutes. I thought he earned the minutes in the second half and then the minutes later in the game and in overtime. He's going to be a tremendous player for us." -Carlisle on Walker

"I'm still working towards it...I'm starting to get into just always having a defensive mentality first -- being physical, fighting over screens rebounding, and just kind of letting offense take care of itself." -Walker on feeling more comfortable on the court than he did earlier in his rookie season

DeRozan went 13-for-14 from the free throw line in regulation, with his one miss being arguably his biggest play of the night as it created an opportunity for his shot that forced overtime.

The Pacers continue their homestand by hosting Mikal Bridges and the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday, March 16 at 7:00 PM ET. Find Tickets >>