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Wednesday, April 1 at 8:00 PM ET at United Center
Game Recap
The Pacers weren’t fooling around in their April 1 matchup with the Chicago Bulls. The Blue and Gold recorded a slew of season highs in the 145-126 victory over the Bulls on Wednesday despite missing several key players.
Chicago played without Josh Giddey, who was sidelined due to hamstring tightness, but Indiana was without Andrew Nembhard (back), Aaron Nesmith (neck), and T.J. McConnell (hamstring).
Indiana set new season-high marks in points scored in a single half (83), points scored in a single game (145), assists recorded in a half (30), assists recorded in a single game (49), and opponent turnovers (20).
The Pacers opened the contest with a 16-7 lead over the Bulls as they sought a season sweep in the fourth and final meeting between the two teams this season. Indiana missed just two of its first nine shots as it built that advantage into a 10-point lead by the midpoint of the first quarter.
Ben Sheppard had a strong first frame – he had multiple highlight-reel finishes, including an over-the-shoulder pass to Pascal Siakam that resulted in a dunk. Siakam led Indiana in the first quarter as he notched a game-high 13 points, and Sheppard followed with nine points of his own.
The Pacers led the Bulls after the first, 39-33.
Jay Huff struck from deep to begin the second period, and hit two more 3-pointers before he missed one. Huff had nine points in the second quarter before the seven-minute mark, and the Pacers led by 14 points, 60-46.
Ethan Thompson knocked down a triple through contact shortly after Taelon Peter took a pivotal charge from Matas Buzelis, and Indiana’s momentum was rolling as the halftime break approached. The Blue and Gold led, 73-58, with just under three minutes remaining in the first half.
Buzelis started to hit a stride for the Bulls down the stretch of the second quarter, and led Chicago into halftime with his 14 points and seven rebounds.
Siakam notched a game-high 23 points for the Pacers, and Huff’s 4-for-5 shooting from deep resulted in a 14-point half for him. Indiana’s 83 points in the first half marked a new season-high for points scored in a single half, surpassing its 80-point first half performance against Atlanta on January 31.
Indiana also notched 30 assists in the first half – just eight assists shy of tying its season-high of 38 in a single game.
The Pacers led by 17 at halftime, 83-66.
Indiana hit the century mark with nearly eight minutes left in the third quarter. Kobe Brown put back a rebound to give the Pacers a 24-point lead, 100-76.
The Pacers maintained their sizable lead into the fourth quarter, and led 117-92 after the third.
Micah Potter took over for the Blue and Gold in the fourth as he recorded eight points in the period to close out the Bulls in Chicago, 145-126.
Indiana forced 20 Chicago turnovers – that number marks the most turnovers committed by a Pacers opponent this season. The Blue and Gold converted those 20 turnovers into 32 points as the Pacers defeated the Bulls by a convincing 19 points.
Siakam led Indiana in scoring with 25 points, but Thompson recorded a new career-high 24 points in Wednesday’s win. Guerschon Yabusele led the Bulls with 20 points and six rebounds.
The win marks Indiana’s second straight victory, and earns a 4-0 season sweep of the Chicago Bulls. The Pacers are back in action on Friday, April 3, as they take on the Charlotte Hornets in the second game of a three-game road trip.
Inside the Numbers
The Pacers’ 30 assists in the first half mark their most in any half since 1996-97. Their 49 total assists ties for the most in any NBA game this season, and is just one assist shy of tying the franchise record of 50 set in 2024-25.
The Pacers recorded 49 assists on 58 made field goals.
Indiana shot 57 percent from the floor, including 42 percent from 3-point range. The Bulls shot 49 percent from the floor, and 33 percent from deep.
The Pacers lost the rebounding battle, 46-41.
You Can Quote Me on That
“We had 30 [assists] in the first half, which is the most in a half in the league the entire season. When the ball has energy, it goes in the basket more.” – coach Rick Carlisle on Indiana’s high assist total
“He has some unique abilities to get places with the ball, and the whole thing about being a successful player in this league, you have to be a threat. You have to be a threat to score – that's the starting point – a threat to penetrate, a threat to be in the paint, you know, a threat to cause problems. And so he created some really great problems for us.” – Carlisle on Ben Sheppard’s ability to get to the rim
“We really didn't have pure point guards out there, but you know, we can play without guys like that, because we have other guys that are good basketball players…That's what we've tried to develop here. It's just that we’ve got a bunch of basketball players, and you can say a guy's a certain position, but they play all over the floor, and that's how we want to play.” – Carlisle on Indiana’s ability to record so many assists without pure point guards
“We weren’t necessarily surprised to see it, but it's always great to see two-way guys get it going in a game like this…Everybody on this team is so talented, when it's not your turn in the rotation, you just have to wait your turn, stay ready. ” – Jay Huff on Ethan Thompson’s career night
Stat of the Night
Indiana set new season-high marks in points scored in a single half (83), points scored in a single game (145), assists recorded in a half (30), assists recorded in a single game (49), and opponent turnovers (20).
Noteworthy
- Indiana is 108-107 against the Bulls all-time. The Pacers swept the season series, 4-0.
- Indiana set a new season-high for points scored in a half as it recorded 83 first-half points on Wednesday. The Pacers also recorded a new season-high for points scored in a game with 145.
- Ethan Thompson recorded a new career-high in points on Wednesday as he scored 24 points against the Bulls.
Up Next
The Pacers travel to Charlotte for a matchup with the Hornets on Friday, April 3, 7:00 PM ET as they continue a three-game road trip.
Tickets
The Pacers will return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse following a three-game road trip to host Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday, Apr. 7, 7:00 PM ET. Find Tickets >>