Game Rewind
The glass was kind to Victor Oladipo and the Indiana Pacers Friday night, as the star guard banked in a long, game-winning 3-pointer with under a second to play in overtime to lift the Blue & Gold to a 119-116 win.
Before the game-defining shot, Indiana had its back against the wall, down 113-110 with 1:12 left. Oladipo and Myles Turner hit triples on back-to-back possessions to put the Pacers up 116-113 with 30.7 seconds to go.
But the Bulls weren't finished. Lauri Markkanen tied things up with a 3-pointer of his own, but he left Oladipo 9.3 seconds.
On what would be Indiana's final possession, Oladipo pulled up from well beyond the arc in the middle of the court and banked it in with 0.3 remaining in overtime.
The Bulls had one more chance, and Chicago's Zach Lavine made what appeared to be a game-tying triple, but after review, the referees said he didn't get it off in time, giving Indiana the victory.
“That’s a hell of a shot, Pacers head coach Nate McMillan said of Oladipo's dagger. "I don’t know if he called bank on it, but I’ll take it. You got to make plays and he felt it."
“I mean, he [Oladipo] had it going, so we wanted to just keep trusting him," Pacers forward Thad Young added. "He’s our star. He’s our guy."
It looked like the the Pacers had it wrapped up in regulation, leading by six with just 45.9 seconds left, but the Bulls stayed alive thanks to some long, desperate 3-pointers.
Bojan Bogdanovic split a pair of free throws to give Indiana a 105-102 lead with 14.3 seconds remaining. Lavine then tied the game from beyond the arc, and with just a few seconds left, Victor Oladipo was unable to get a shot off, sending the game to overtime.
Despite its record, Chicago competed with Indiana tonight from the get-go. In the first quarter, it was all Bulls, mainly Lavine. Lavine scored five of the Bulls' first 11 points to get the home team out to an early 11-2 lead.
Lavine wasn't done as he finished the opening quarter with 17 points, helping stake the Bulls to a 30-18 advantage heading into the second period.
The Pacers battled back thanks to Domantas Sabonis. The Bulls had no answer for him, as he scored 15 points during his first stint of playing time in the quarter to help cut the lead to three, 42-39, with 5:05 left in the half.
The game remained close the rest of the half, and the Bulls took a four-point lead, 58-54, into halftime.
The Blue & Gold came out firing in the second half, specifically Oladipo. Trailing 61-57, Oladipo went on his own 10-0 run to push the Pacers ahead for the first time in the game. Thanks to Oladipo, the Pacers led 67-61 at the 7:52 mark.
The Bulls fired back with a 9-2 run to regain a 70-69 lead with just over five minutes to play in the third. From there, the teams traded the lead until the Bulls were able to take a 78-75 advantage into the final period.
Though the Pacers weren't quite able to shut the door in the final quarter, clutch shooting in overtime led them to their sixth straight victory.
Oladipo finished with 36 points and seven rebounds. Sabonis had 23 points and 12 rebounds off the bench.
Lavine scored 31 for Chicago, and Markkanen added 27 points and nine rebounds.
Inside The Numbers
Domantas Sabonis earned his 17th double-double of the season.
Victor Oladipo's 36 points tied his season high.
You Can Quote Me on That
"This was a pretty amazing game. This was probably one of the better games of the year. Those guys made tough shot after tough shot. It was a back-and-forth game. This is what the fans come to the game for. This is what they come and cheer for. These are the games that they want to see and it was definitely one to remember tonight." - Pacers forward Thad Young
"We've got good young guys that care, and if you have that and you work then I think you’ve got a chance. And tonight showed some signs of our work paying off. I’m thankful for that." - Bulls head coach Jim Boylen
"Crazy game. Everybody made big plays on our team and on their side." - Bulls guard Kris Dunn
Stat of the Night
With tonight's win, the Pacers will finish the season 2-0 in the United Center for the first time in 18 years.
Noteworthy
- Heading into tonight, Indiana was just 1-7 when trailing after three quarters. The Pacers picked up their second such victory with this win.
- Coming into tonight, Myles Turner had recorded a block in 38 straight games, but he was unable to reject a shot during Friday's contest, ending the streak.
- The Pacers are now 20-5 against the Eastern Conference this season.
Up Next
The road trip continues Sunday night in Toronto against the Raptors. Catch the game at 7:30 PM on Fox Sports Indiana & 1070 The Fan.
Tickets
After a five-game road trip, the Pacers return home to face Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, Jan. 15 at 7:00 PM ET. Find Tickets »
Special Offer - Pacers Win
Jack's Donuts: Visit your local Jack's Donuts the day after a Pacers victory and mention the Pacers win to receive a free twelve ounce coffee with any purchase. Visit JacksDonuts.com to find the Jack's Donuts nearest you.