Chicago Bulls vs. Indiana Pacers: Live Score, Results and Game Highlights
By on February 4, 2013
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We've got a battle for Central Division supremacy tonight as the 29-18 Chicago Bulls take on the 28-19 Indiana Pacers with the winner gaining at least a portion of first place in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference.
The Pacers won the first meeting between the two teams, beating Chicago 80-76 a few months back in the beginning of December.
Keep it here for all the game highlights and updates along the way.
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
Keys to the Game
Simply put, the Bulls just waited too long try to get back into this one. They were lollygagging defensively throughout the entire game until the fourth quarter came around. At which point they lollygagged for a few more minutes, and then got down to business.
Their spacing was terrible all night long, as they were either too congested in the middle on defense, leading to an open jump shot, or too spread out, leading to easy penetration. Once they fixed things, it seemed like it was too late.
It's easy to complain about a missed call here or there, and the Bulls should have gotten the ball back late with only a six point deficit on a bad out-of-bounds call, but they also should have played better defense for the first three quarters of the game.
As for Indiana, they shot the lights out in the first three quarters. There was a 12-minute stretch between the second and third quarter when they made more than 70 percent of their shots. When you've got a team hitting three-quarters of their shots for an entire quarter, it's going to be hard to slow them down.
Beyond that, Indiana obliterated Chicago on the boards, they took and made better three-pointers, and they played better defense for longer stretches of the game.
Pacers 111, Bulls 101, Final.
Let's take a look at the box score from this one. First the Pacers:
Via: NBA.com
And the Bulls:
Via: NBA.com
Pacers 111, Bulls 101, Final
Well, Chicago's streak of games with a win when scoring over 100 points is coming to an end. They'll stop the streak at 41 games, tied with the 2003 San Antonio Spurs for the longest all-time.
Pacers 111, Bulls 101, Final.
Frank Vogel is calling off the dogs, but Tom Thibodeau is refusing to back down, playing the foul game with a minute left.
Pacers 105, Bulls 94 with 1:00 left in the fourth.
Paul George hits the dagger three-pointer. He hadn't made a shot outside of the paint since the first quarter, but has knocked down two huge jumpers here in the fourth.
Paul George Dagger SMASH
— Dime Smash! (@DimeSmash) February 5, 2013
Pacers 101, Bulls 94 with 1:18 left in the fourth.
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
David West with a big block on Taj Gibson, but Belinelli comes back and hits a floater to keep this one close.
Pacers 98, Bulls 94 with 1:46 left in the fourth.
David West's magic has worn off, but a second attempt leads to a jumper from Paul George. That one falls.
Pacers 98, Bulls 92 with 2:57 left in the fourth.
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
Ball gets a-moving on the Indiana end, and Taj Gibson blocks him for the second time tonight.
Belinelli hit's a jumper on the other end.
Pacers 96, Bulls 92 with 3:55 left in the fourth.
For whatever reason, it wouldn't surprise me if both teams fail to reach 100 points. Mind you, Indiana is within four with nearly six minutes left.
Pacers 96, Bulls 90 with 5:26 left in the fourth.
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
Jimmy Butler drains a jumper to give Chicago their seventh player in double-figures for the night.
Pacers 96, Bulls 90 with 5:28 left in the fourth.
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
And we've got a game. No shocker, but here it is at last.
Marco Belinelli hits a jumper and a three-pointer, countered by a bomb from Lance Stephenson.
Both defenses are starting to buckle down.
Pacers 95, Bulls 88 with 6:06 left in the fourth.
Paul George's reverse alley-oop slam with the pass from George Hill. That one happened back in the middle of the third quarter.
Pacers 92, Bulls 84 with 8:21 left in the fourth.
Chicago cuts the lead to single digits as each team digs in, doing their best impersonations of, well themselves.
Pacers 90, Bulls 82 with 9:28 left in the fourth.
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
David West is still leading the way on the game with 23 points, four rebounds and four assists. George Hill has 20, while Paul George has 14 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
Chicago is led by 15 points from Nate Robinson, 11 from both Luol Deng and Marco Belinelli, and 10 points from Taj Gibson, Rip Hamilton, and Carlos Boozer.
Pacers 90, Bulls 78 with 11:07 left in the fourth.
Gibson hits a jumper at the buzzer, but it was definitely after the shot left his hands.
Pacers 87, Bulls 76 after the third quarter.
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
Austin Croshere doesn't know what a Eurostep is, and it's kind of hilarious.
Three-ball from Nate Robinson. Indiana better look out, or he'll score 12 points in the next two minutes.
Pacers 87, Bulls 76 with 0:11 left in the third.
Here's Lance's behind-the-backer to West from the second quarter. This has to be Indiana's flashiest game of the season, and we're not even three quarters of the way done.
Pacers 83, Bulls 71 with 1:27 left in the third.
George Hill to Paul George. They put together two parts of an alley-oop baby to form George George, and it's beautiful.
Paul George Reverse Alley Oop....SMASH.
— Dime Smash! (@DimeSmash) February 5, 2013
Pacers 83, Bulls 71 with 1:43 left in the third.
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
The David West-Taj GIbson battle is too fun right now. Gibson mans him up and swats his shot right back at him, so West takes it, throws it over his shoulder and hits a slashing Stephenson.
Bulls 81, Pacers 69 with 3:16 left in the third.
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
We've got a facemaskless Rip Hamilton upset after a foul call. He jaws with an official a bit, walks to the sideline and chucks his mask off.
Pacers 79, Bulls 67 with 4:00 left in the third.
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
It feels like the Bulls are getting obliterated on the offensive glass, but somehow they've got 10 offensive rebounds to Indiana's six.
The Pacers are winning the overall rebound battle 27-24, however.
Pacers 76, Bulls 67 with 4:13 left in the third.
Apparently your grandmother isn't allowed to crochet you a giant doily for you to wear as a shirt in the NBA.
Noah found a sportcoat and dress shirt and has returned to Bulls' bench, meeting league dress code policy.
— K.C Johnson (@KCJHoop) February 5, 2013
Pacers 73, Bulls 65 with 5:51 left in the third.
That's a four-point play via George Hill and David West thanks to an off-ball foul. If this one wasn't weird before, it definitely is now.
Pacers 73, Bulls 65 with 7:05 left in the third.
Lance Stephenson has looked like the closest thing to a sane Indiana-era Ron Artest in tonight's game. He even got Taj Gibson to shove him leading to an offensive foul.
Lance Stephenson transition And-1 SMASH
— Dime Smash! (@DimeSmash) February 5, 2013
Pacers 72, Bulls 63 with 7:35 left in the third.
Something tells me that this game has been a bit of an aberration as far as Indiana is concerned.
The Pacers have broken 50% field goal shooting just 3 times this season. They shot 66.7% in the first half.
— Jeff Mangurten (@JeffGurt) February 5, 2013
Yep, definitely a weird one.
Pacers 64, Bulls 63 with 9:22 left in the third.
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