Matchup
As their road trip marches on, the Pacers look to bounce back from their 119-100 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks with a win over the Chicago Bulls on Friday night at United Center.
After winning just one game in the entire month of February, the Bulls started the month of March by picking up a 109-107 win over Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks without their leading scorer, Zach LaVine. LaVine, who was Chicago's leading scorer in two of its first three contests against the Pacers, will also miss Friday's game a quad injury.
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With LaVine sidelined, Indiana will likely key in on stopping the Bulls' seven-foot, stretch power forward, Lauri Markkanen. Over his career, the lengthy sharpshooter averages 16.9 points per game against the Pacers. Recently, he's been quite lethal from deep at home, averaging 3.2 3-pointers made per game over his last 10 home appearances.
On the offensive end, the Blue & Gold may have to lean heavily on its two big men down low. Their tough battle against the physical Bucks has left some questions on who will be available to suit up for Friday's game. However, the Pacers will have both Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner fully healthy and available.
Sabonis has the opportunity to pick up his 49th double-double of the season, which would tie him for the most double-doubles in a single season in Pacers NBA franchise history. Turner, who struggled a bit against Milwaukee, will look to rebound against the Bulls. On Jan. 10, he scored a season-high 27 points against Chicago at United Center, proving the big man can score big in the Windy City.
Projected Starters
Malcolm Brogdon
Aaron Holiday
T.J. Warren
Domantas Sabonis
Myles Turner
Tomas Satoransky
Denzel Valentine
Shaquille Harrison
Lauri Markkanen
Wendell Carter Jr.
Pacers: PG - Malcolm Brogdon, SG - Aaron Holiday, SF - T.J. Warren, PF - Domantas Sabonis, C - Myles Turner
Bulls: PG - Tomas Satoransky, SG - Denzel Valentine, SF - Shaquille Harrison, PF - Lauri Markkanen, C - Wendell Carter Jr.
Injury Report
Pacers: Doug McDermott - questionable (sore right foot), Victor Oladipo - questionable (sore right knee), JaKarr Sampson - questionable (sore right hip), T.J. Warren - questionable (sore left leg), Malcolm Brogdon - doubtful (sore left hip), Jeremy Lamb - out (torn left ACL)
Bulls: Kris Dunn - out (right knee sprain), Chandler Hutchison - out (right shoulder AC sprain), Luke Kornet - out (left foot fracture and ankle sprain), Zach LaVine - out (left quadriceps strain), Max Strus - out (left knee ACL rehabilitation)
Last Meeting
January 29, 2020: Victor Oladipo delivered in his return back from his devastating knee injury. With nine seconds left in regulation, Oladipo drilled a deep three, his first of the game, to force overtime. The Pacers then finished off the pesky Bulls 115-106 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Oladipo had missed his first six attempts from beyond the arc, trying mightily to find his rhythm. But on his seventh, he rose up nearly from the coaches' line. The shot fell through without worry.
"Sure I missed six, but I don't even remember missing them," Oladipo said after the game. "When I shot it, I didn't think about the six I missed. I just thought about making that one."
T.J. Warren led all Pacers scorers with 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting. Sabonis added 15 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists, while Brogdon tallied 15 points, eight boards, and nine assists.
Noteworthy
- Indiana has won the past eight regular season meetings with the Bulls and 11 of the last 12 overall.
- The Pacers are looking to sweep the regular season series against Chicago for the second straight season. They have not swept the Bulls in consecutive seasons since the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons.
- The Pacers trail in the all-time series, 94-97.
Tickets
After a five-game road trip, the Pacers return to Bankers Life Fieldhouse to host Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics on Tuesday, March 10 at 7:00 PM ET. Find Tickets »
Broadcast Information TV & Radio Listings »
TV: FOX Sports Indiana - Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host)
Radio: 93.5/107.5 FM/1070 AM The Fan - Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Pat Boylan (studio host)