Game Rewind: Pacers 115, Bulls 122

The Pacers hung tough with the East-leading Bulls on Friday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Caris LeVert's brilliant first quarter helped Indiana keep pace with their Central Division rivals, the Blue & Gold took a brief lead in the third quarter, and trailed by just one point with under 10 minutes to play.

But the Bulls (33-19) used a 15-4 run midway through the fourth quarter to push their lead back to double digits, then narrowly held on down the stretch for a 122-115 win.

The loss spoiled a sensational night for LeVert, who surpassed the 40-point mark for the first time in a Pacer uniform, scoring 42 on 19-of-26 shooting. He scored 22 in the first quarter and 12 more in the fourth while also tallying five rebounds and eight assists.

"My teammates they put me in great positions tonight," LeVert said. "I think I got it going a little early and my teammates were just finding spaces for me to get to my spots. They made it easy for me."

But the Bulls had a trio of standout performances of their own. Nikola Vucevic scored a season-high 36 points on 16-of-21 shoooting to go along with 17 rebounds and four assists. DeMar DeRozan added 31 points, five boards, and seven assists, while rookie guard Ayo Dosunmu recorded a double-double with 15 points and 14 assists and made the victory-sealing play in the closing seconds.

The Pacers had cut the deficit to 95-94 following Chris Duarte's jumper two minutes into the final frame, but couldn't get over the hump. The Bulls pieced together a 15-4 surge to build their lead back to 12, capped by Dosunmu's three with 4:52 remaining.

Still, Indiana mounted one last charge. Duane Washington Jr. dished to Terry Taylor for a baseline slam that made it a 112-108 game with 2:38 to play. DeRozan answered, however, with a mid-range jumper on the other end.

Washington's fastbreak slam with 1:29 remaining trimmed the margin back to four, but Green answered with a floater 22 seconds later.

LeVert knifed through the defense for his 41st and 42nd points of the night with 58.8 seconds left, only for Vucevic to bully his way to two points on the block with 41.1 seconds remaining.

After a timeout, LeVert dished to Justin Holiday, who drilled an open three on the left wing, making it a one-possession game with 36.4 seconds to play.

Bulls head coach Billy Donovan took a timeout and put the ball in Dosunmu's hands. The rookie ran down the shot clock, then exploded past Oshae Brissett to the rim, where he threw down a thunderous one-hand slam over Taylor with 16.3 seconds left. Holiday missed on the other end to seal the outcome.

"It looked like a keeper play," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said of the fateful Bulls basket. "Dosunmu's very quick, a great explosive right-hand driver...He just exploded and we made a mistake."

It was an inauspicious start for Indiana, as Bulls center Vucevic slapped the opening tip forward to Javonte Green, who outraced the Pacers to the ball and scored on an easy layup. More of the same followed, as Chicago scored on its first five possessions and the Blue & Gold did not on their first four. Dosunmu's halfcourt alley oop to Green at 10:11 in the first quarter gave the Bulls a startlingly fast 10-0 lead.

The Pacers finally found some offense thanks to LeVert. The combo guard caught fire, making 10 of 11 shots over the final 9:15 of the opening quarter. He scored the Blue & Gold's final nine points in the frame, driving baseline for an and-one at 2:06, blowing by Troy Brown Jr. and throwing down a two-hand slam on Matt Thomas at 1:43, knocking down a floater over two defenders at 1:20, and finally drilling a stepback jumper over Brown with 12.2 seconds left in the frame.

But despite LeVert's outburst, the Bulls kept scoring on the other end. Chicago led throughout the opening frame and took a 40-33 lead into the second quarter.

Indiana managed to cut the deficit to 42-38 on a jumper by the newly signed Reggie Perry, who inked a 10-day hardship contract with Indiana earlier on Friday. But the Bulls responded with an 11-4 surge to push the margin back to double digits.

The Pacers clawed their way back over the remainder of the quarter. They twice cut the deficit to four and then got within three on LeVert's drive and dish to Taylor, who missed his initial look but tapped it back in through contact, then hit the ensuing free throw to cap a three-point play with 15.5 seconds left in the half. Dosunmu missed on the other end and the Pacers headed to the locker room at halftime trailing just 65-62.

Once again, the Bulls started the half strong, this time scoring four straight baskets in the paint to open the scoring in the third quarter.

The Pacers came charging back, however. Rookie guard Washington scored eight points during a 16-6 Indiana run. Holiday's 3-pointer with 5:39 left in the frame capped the sequence and cut Chicago's lead to 79-78.

Indiana eventually tied the game at 83 on Duarte's 3-pointer with 3:32 remaining. The Bulls retook the lead on a pair of Green free throws before Lance Stephenson swished a 32-foot shot at the shot clock buzzer to give the Pacers their first lead of the night. The home crowd erupted as the fan favorite did his trademark air guitar celebration while skipping back on defense.

The good vibes were brief, as Chicago retook the lead on two DeRozan free throws on the other end and led for the remainder of the frame, taking a 93-90 advantage into the fourth quarter.

Taylor finished with 21 points, 14 rebounds, and five assists in his first career start. Washington added 17 points, seven boards, and four assists off the bench, while Duarte scored 12 on 5-of-11 shooting.

Green had 16 points for Chicago, while Thomas added 10 off the bench.

Indiana hits the road for a pair of games in Cleveland on Sunday and Atlanta on Tuesday before returning to the Circle City to host the Cavs on Friday.

LeVert's 42 points were seven more than his previous most as a Pacer and the third-most in his career. He scored 51 for Brooklyn in an overtime win over Boston on March 3, 2020 and had 43 for the Nets against Memphis on Jan. 8, 2021.

His 42 points matched Domantas Sabonis for the most by a Pacer this season and made him the third Indiana player to score 40 in a game this season. Sabonis had 42 in a win over Utah on Jan. 8, while Myles Turner tallied 40 in Washington on Oct. 22.

Vucevic's 36 points were his most ever with the Bulls and his 17 rebounds matched his season high.

Playing in just his eighth career game and starting at center with the Pacers without their top four big men, the 6-5 Taylor recorded his second straight 20-point double-double.

The Bulls outscored Indiana 70-54 in the paint, the most points in the paint by a Pacers opponent this season.

The Pacers had a much better night from beyond the arc than Chicago. The Pacers went 12-for-27 (44.4 percent) from 3-point range, while the Bulls were just 6-for-26 (23.1 percent).

"The start was obviously poor and we're going to have to do better. The rest of the game I really thought we fought tooth-and-nail. We made mistakes, but guys were flying around." -Carlisle

"I ain't never seen nothing like it up close. It was unreal. It was like a video game." -Taylor on LeVert's 42-point performance

"They started trapping him as the game went on. He did a good job moving the ball out of traps, getting the ball to the right people, and it created some really good opportunities for us." -Carlisle on LeVert's big night as a scorer and a distributor

"I have ultimate trust in my teammates. I go to war with those guys every day. I know what they're capable of. When I'm doubled like that it's easy to make that pass." -LeVert on becoming more of a distributor as the game went on

"That's just my teammates talking to me. I went up one time and Caris and Justin were like, 'Yo, kick it out to the corner, we're open.' I started noticing that. And everybody's collapsing on me so the shooters are there ready to spot up." -Taylor on learning to look to pass after offensive rebounds

LeVert's 22 points in the first quarter were a franchise record and the most by a Pacer in the first quarter this season. They also tied LeVert with Charlotte's Miles Bridges for the third most by any player in the first quarter this season. The only player to score more points in the opening frame is Golden State's Stephen Curry, who has scored 25 and 23 in the first quarter this season.

The Pacers open up a two-game road trip in Cleveland on Sunday, Feb. 6 at 6:00 PM ET.

The Pacers return to Gainbridge Fieldhoouse to host Darius Garland and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday, Feb. 11 at 7:00 PM ET. Find Tickets »