Pacers vs. Bulls: Chicago Comes Up Short in Fourth Quarter, Loses 80-76

It was a disappointing loss for the Chicago Bulls Tuesday night as they hosted the Indiana Pacers in a heated rivalry game. Paul George led the way for Indiana with 34 points. Roy Hibbert (10 points, 11 rebounds) chipped in with a double-double.

Nate Robinson was the Bulls' leading scorer with 19 points (5-for-13 shooting) off the bench. Robinson led the Bulls on a fourth-quarter comeback with 11 points. He also ended up hurting them by taking rushed and contested shots towards the end, turning the ball over three times in the quarter.

With under 30 seconds left in the final period and the Bulls down by two, Joakim Noah found an open Luol Deng on a backdoor cut. Roy Hibbert went up to contest the shot and Deng drew a lot of contact. A questionable no-call by the officials left the Pacers with control of the ball; a possession that would clinch the game.

Game Positives

Chicago's defense played extremely well, allowing just 80 points on 36-percent shooting. The Bulls drew many offensive fouls, especially in the first half, and forced Indiana to commit 12 turnovers. The Bulls were strong once again on the boards, grabbing 46 total rebounds (13 offensive). Carlos Boozer posted his seventh double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 boards.

Game Criticisms

The Bulls' offensive struggles continued. They shot 38 percent from the floor and turned the ball over 19 times. A poor showing by the bench—with the exception of Nate Robinson—as the bench managed only six points. However, they were a man short this game with Marco Belinelli filling in for an injured Richard Hamilton.

This was the Bulls' first game in a stretch of four games in five nights. They travel to Cleveland on Wednesday for another divisional matchup.

The Bulls drop to 8-8 after the loss to Indiana.