Friday, October 18th, 2013 at 8:00 PM ET at United Center
Game Rewind: Pacers at Bulls
Pacers.com Staff | October 18, 2013
Game Rewind
The Pacers and Chicago Bulls met for the second time this preseason and although the anticipation wasn’t nearly as high, the environment at the United Center appeared as if it was a meaningful game. The Pacers led after the first two quarters but their inability to hit free throws down the stretch did them in, as did Derrick Rose scoring 10 of his 32 points in the final quarter.
The Bulls (5-0) picked up their seventh consecutive preseason win over the Pacers (0-5) on Friday night, 103-98.
Playing on the road for the first of their final four preseason games, the Pacers played some of their best basketball this month. They were whipping the ball around, finding the open teammate. They jumped out to a 29-19 lead on the Bulls by scoring 16 unanswered points.
The Bulls narrowed the gap to two, 33-31, but then the Pacers when on a 9-1 run, keyed by a triple from Danny Granger and a layup in transition from Lance Stephenson. Despite 12 giveaways in the half and allowing the Bulls to score the final five points, the Pacers, shooting 58 percent, went into the locker room with a 50-43 advantage.
Pacers coach Frank Vogel elected to start Granger for the second game in a row and the nine-year veteran tallied eight first-half points. Still trying to get healthy from left knee surgery, he looked as comfortable as we’ve seen him since the 2012 playoffs. That’s an encouraging sign. However, Granger re-aggravated his strained left calf and was taken out for good, as a precaution, midway through the third period.
The Pacers got put on their heels in the third as the Bulls outscored them 34-25 to take a two-point edge into the final quarter. Much like last season, David West, the Pacers’ backbone, held the team up and scored 10 of his 12 points in the quarter.
The Pacers re-gained the lead with just under four minutes to play, but then Derrick Rose took over for the Bulls and scored 10 of their final 13 points. Meanwhile, the Pacers missed six of seven tosses at the foul line, during which the Bulls went back in front by seven. Paul George, who scored a team-high 22 points, missed consecutive shots and the Bulls held on for the five-point win.
Inside the Numbers
Five Pacers scored in double figures and Lance Stephenson came close to a triple-double off the bench, finishing with 11 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. He had also had three turnovers but they all came in the second quarter.
Roy Hibbert scored 18, David West had 17 and Danny Granger added 11 before being held out in the third quarter. In 105 preseason minutes (over four games), Hibbert still hasn’t tallied an assist. Ian Mahinmi was active on the offensive glass, pulling down four of his six rebounds at that end.
Derrick Rose scored 32 points on 9-of-15 shooting and he dishes out nine assists in 32 minutes. Luol Deng had 22 points and Taj Gibson accounted for 13.
The Pacers grabbed 10 offensive rebounds and scored 18 second chance points.
The Bulls’ bench outscored the Pacers’ 34-22, and the home team turned the ball over just 10 times.
Quoteworthy
“I was pleased with our effort tonight. I was pleased with our execution. We didn’t get the W. Obviously not happy about that. I liked how we shared the ball offensively. We got better in our transition defense and our 1 shot defense. That is a point of emphasis for us. We got better with our defense in the paint. We sent them to the free throw line too much.” — Frank Vogel
“Just another preseason game, right? Isn’t that what it seemed like to you guys?” — Frank Vogel on the game's intensity
"It is not mandatory to win right now. It doesn’t mean anything. As long as we get ready for the regular season, we will be fine. We have to get better. We had them on their heels and we really could have put the game away. We gave them free throws and we missed some." — George Hill on the preseason
Stat of the Game
The Pacers left 12 points at the free throw line (23-for-35, 66 percent). The Bulls connected on 32-of-41 attempts.
Noteworthy
- Donald Sloan, Rasual Butler and Hilton Armstrong didn’t enter the game. Vogel opted to play Chris Copeland just 12 seconds — after Lance Stephenson fouled out.
- Joakim Noah (groin) and Jimmy Butler (left knee) of the Bulls both sat out.
- The Bulls sold out the United Center for the ninth straight preseason game (21,783).
Up Next
Saturday, Oct. 19: at Cleveland Cavaliers – 7:30 p.m. EST.
