Game Rewind: Pacers 105, Bulls 114 (Summer League)

Game Rewind

In a Summer League matchup between Central Division foes, the Chicago Bulls dropped the Indiana Pacers 114-105 on Monday in Las Vegas.

After leading by four points after three quarters, the Bulls (1-2) scored 29 points in the final frame to hold off any chance of a Pacers (1-2) comeback at Cox Pavilion.

All five Pacers starters scored in double figures in the loss. Pacers guard RayJ Dennis finished with 20 points and five assists, forward Enrique Freeman posted 17 points and 10 rebounds, rookie Kam Jones logged a personal-best 18 points and six assists, Phillip Wheeler chipped in 16 points, and Johnny Furphy recorded 15 points and six rebounds.

Chicago forward Matas Buzelis, an All-Rookie Second Team member last season, scored 28 points, while 6-foot-10 French rookie Noa Essengue added 21 points, Javon Freeman-Liberty scored 18 points, and Yuki Kawamura recorded 15 points and 10 assists off the bench.

Both teams shot 50 percent overall, with Indiana making 11 3-pointers to Chicago’s 10, but the Bulls finished 30-for-34 at the free-throw line while the Pacers made 22-of-25 at the stripe.

"We play hard, we play together, we play unselfish ... we just (haven't put together) 40 minutes yet," Pacers Summer League Coach Isaac Yacob said. "We shot 50/40/90 and scored enough points to win, we just can't give up 110 every night."

There were eight lead changes and six ties in the game, but the largest Pacers' largest lead was just two points.

Chicago attacked the rim early and often to build a 57-53 halftime lead.

Indiana outshot Chicago 53.1 to 45.9 percent in the first half, but the Bulls shot 19-for-21 from the free throw line while the Pacers went 12-for-13.

Rookies took over the game early, as Jones and Essengue scored 13 points each in the first half.

Essengue struck first, scoring 11 points on 4-for-6 shooting in the first quarter to help the Bulls to a 32-18 lead.

The Bulls built an early 16-8 lead on a 9-0 scoring spree before Furphy hit a 3-pointer and threw down a one-handed dunk to spark a 8-2 Pacers run and make it a one-possession game.

Following a Chicago timeout, with 2:57 on the clock, the Bulls bolted to a 14-0 run thanks to seven points by Essengue before Indiana rookie Taelon Peter ended the streak with a layup.

Jones then scored 11 points of his own in the second quarter to help the Pacers narrow the halftime margin to four points.

A trio of 3-pointers by the Pacers, including back-to-back triples from Jones, made it 38-31 before an 11-0 Pacers run – where Jones hit his third three of the quarter and Furphy slammed home a poster dunk over Essengue – tied the score at 44 with 3:21 left in the half.

"Kam is getting better every day, every game," Yacob said. "Trending in the right direction. Just keeps chipping away."

A Jahmir Young 3-pointer out of a timeout got the Bulls back on track, however, and Chicago didn’t relinquish the lead the rest of the half.

The score stayed within two possessions in the third quarter until a 11-2 Chicago run from 3:30 to 1:49, featuring five points by Buzelis, pushed the Bulls ahead 83-73.

Four straight points by Peter concluded the frame, but the Pacers trailed 85-81 heading into the final 10 minutes.

Emanuel Miller opened the fourth quarter with an and-one before Freeman-Liberty added five straight points to give the Bulls a 93-83 lead, and the Pacers never got closer than five points the rest of the game.

The Pacers will continue Summer League action on Thursday, July 17 when they take on the New York Knicks at 4:30 PM ET.