Last Updated: Oct. 6 at 4:30 PM
Matchup
After dispatching the New Orleans Pelicans 113-96 Tuesday night in NOLA, the Pacers come to Bankers Life Fieldhouse for their second preseason game, a matchup with the Chicago Bulls.
In its victory, Indiana displayed many of the stylistic attributes that have been preached during training camp. They moved the ball, pushed the tempo, and fired away if a shot was available. The result was a 17-point victory and a balanced stat sheet, with seven players cracking double-digit scoring on the evening.
Myles Turner, who missed the game due to being in the NBA concussion protocol, practiced with the team on Monday and Wednesday, but will miss Thursday's game as well. At practice, head coach Nate McMillan targeted Saturday's preseason game against the Bulls as a likely date of his return to the court. Turner enters the season with high expectations, having earned praise from fellow players, front office, and coaches for his offseason work and dedication to grow as a player.
Like the Pacers, the Bulls spent much of their offseason retooling their roster. In one of the splashier offseason moves, the Bulls brought in both Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade, moving on from Derrick Rose, who won the MVP award with Chicago in 2010-11.
The Bulls dropped their first preseason game on Monday to the Bucks. Chicago lost rookie Denzel Valentine in the game, who sprained his left ankle. Valentine is expected to miss Thursday's meeting with the Pacers.
In their first home game of the preseason, Indiana will look to build on their impressive offensive output against the Pelicans. The amount of field goals Indiana took (104) was an impressive total, indicative of their fast-paced attack.
But even with the speedy tempo, McMillan didn't feel like much was sacrificed on the other end of the ball.
"I thought we really tried to commit to establishing our tempo on both ends of the floor," he said after the win. "We don’t want to be a team that just runs and doesn’t play defense. I thought we established our defense really well."
Projected Starters
Jeff Teague
Monta Ellis
Paul George
Thaddeus Young
Kevin Seraphin
Rajon Rondo
Dwyane Wade
Jimmy Butler
Nikola Mirotić
Robin Lopez
Pacers: PG - Jeff Teague, SG - Monta Ellis, SF - Paul George, PF - Thaddeus Young, C - Kevin Seraphin
Bulls: PG - Rajon Rondo, SG - Dwyane Wade, SF - Jimmy Butler, PF - Nikola Mirotić, C - Robin Lopez
Injury Report
Pacers: Aaron Brooks - out (left hip flexor strain), Myles Turner - out (concussion protocol), Jeremy Evans - out (right shoulder rehabilitation)
Bulls: Denzel Valentine - not with team (left ankle sprain)
Last Meeting
March 29, 2016: Like their previous matchups throughout the season, the Pacers and Bulls went down to the wire. Unfortunately for Indiana, the Bulls prevailed, 98-96.
With the win, Chicago climbed closer to Indiana in the playoff scenarios, frustrating George and his teammates. "We fell short. It's painful. It's one of those games that we feel like we should have took, but there's plenty to learn," George said.
Bulls shooter Nikola Mirotić was in a zone, scoring 28 points and hitting seven 3-pointers in the process. George led Indiana in scoring with 20.
"They executed down the stretch. I tip my hat to the Bulls. They executed, they got good looks, got some big offensive rebounds and Mirotić got hot," George said.
Noteworthy
- The Pacers took 104 field goal attempts against the Pelicans and turned the ball over just 11 times.
- Indiana took 34 3-point attempts, sinking 11 of them.
- In his Pacers debut, Al Jefferson led the team in scoring with 14 points, and Thaddeus Young notched a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
- Rookie Georges Niang nearly reached a double-double, scoring 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting while hauling in eight rebounds.
- The Pacers held Anthony Davis to just 3-of-13 shooting on the evening.
Broadcast Information
TV: Fox Sports Indiana - Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter)
Radio: 93.5 FM/AM 1070 The Fan - Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Bobby "Slick" Leonard (analyst), Pat Boylan (sideline reporter)
Please Note: Inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Pacers radio broadcasts can be heard on 1080 AM instead of 1070.
Tickets
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