National Basketball Association
Chicago 89, Indiana 77
When: 8:00 PM ET, Monday, March 24, 2014
Where: United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Officials:
#19 James Capers, #35 Kane Fitzgerald, #66 Haywoode Workman
Attendance:
21803
By SportsDirect Inc.
Bulls 89, Pacers 77: Taj Gibson collected 23 points and eight rebounds in a reserve role and Kirk Hinrich added 18 points as host Chicago prevented Indiana from clinching the Central Division title.
Mike Dunleavy contributed 13 points and Jimmy Butler added 12 for the Bulls, who avenged Friday's 91-79 loss at Indiana to earn a split of the season series. Joakim Noah flirted with a triple-double, collecting 10 points, eight rebounds and eight assists along with four steals and three blocks as Chicago pulled even with Toronto for third place in the Eastern Conference.
Paul George scored 21 points and George Hill added 17 for the Pacers, who have lost three straight road games. David West tallied 14 points and nine rebounds as Indiana's lead over second-place Miami was trimmed to two games in the race for the top seed in the East.
Chicago sloughed off a sluggish first half by scoring on seven of its first eight possessions in the third quarter to open up a 49-39 lead. The Bulls maintained a comfortable margin the rest of the way as Noah shut down Indiana big man Roy Hibbert and the Pacers' guards struggled to find their shots.
The Bulls missed their first seven shots as Indiana grabbed a 7-0 lead, and Chicago needed a buzzer-beater from Gibson to get within 19-15 after one quarter. The ugliness on offense continued at both ends in the second quarter, as neither team shot better than 35.3 percent in the half and Hill's 3-pointer just before the horn gave Indiana a 34-33 lead at the break.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Indiana SG Lance Stephenson had eight points and 10 rebounds but failed to record an assist for only the second time this season. … Indiana dropped to 26-3 when holding opponents under 90 points. … PF Carlos Boozer had nine points and 10 rebounds for Chicago, which had four players grab at least eight boards.
Top Game Performances
| Indiana |
|
Chicago |
|
Paul George 21 |
Scoring |
Taj Gibson 23 |
|
George Hill 4 |
Assists |
Joakim Noah 8 |
|
Lance Stephenson 10 |
Rebounds |
Carlos Boozer 10 |
|
David West 6 |
Free Throws Made |
Jimmy Butler 5 |
|
Paul George 4 |
Steals |
Joakim Noah 4 |
|
David West 2 |
Blocks |
Joakim Noah 3 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Indiana
|
77 |
37.0 |
4-10 |
19-21 |
11 |
42 |
4 |
5 |
16 |
| Chicago
|
89 |
41.7 |
4-15 |
15-16 |
22 |
46 |
7 |
7 |
10 |
Upcoming Games
-
Chicago will play their next game at home against Portland. The Bulls have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
-
Indiana will play their next game at home against Miami. The Pacers have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
For more information, contact us