Indiana Pacers refuse to quit, fight back from a 17-point deficit to beat the Chicago Bulls.
The Indiana Pacers took on a Chicago Bulls team coming into Indianapolis dragging a nine-game losing streak on Wednesday night. You might have reasonably expected the Pacers to take care of the Bulls, easily and handily, like they did last month with an 18-point trouncing against arguably the worst team in the league.
But on Wednesday night, the Pacers delivered their worst first-half scoring output of the season with just 39 points, taking a 16-point deficit into the half to struggle their way out from under. Recent Pacers play might suggest this to be an extremely possible exercise against these Bulls, but Indiana spent the third quarter further making their case against an eventual comeback.
The Pacers continued to keep the fans at Bankers Life uneasy, waiting until about halfway through the fourth to knock down some buckets, get some much-needed stops on the other end, and make that comeback. With just thirty seconds left in the game, Indiana got their first lead all night on a pull-up transition three by Victor Oladipo.
Bang.
This @VicOladipo sequence gave us the lead for good.#PacersWin https://t.co/xVDl9q9Awn
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) December 7, 2017
And that did it. Deep breath. Pacers fans can relax.
The Good: The last half of the fourth quarter.
The Bad: The first three-and-a-half quarters.
MVP: Dipo! He saved the team tonight with that dagger three. And yes, he missed one of two free-throws at the very end there, but he made sure to do the mandatory ten push-ups per missed free-throw — even if it was during the post-game interview.
LVP: The overconfidence that comes with playing a weak Bulls team.
X-Factor: Bojan. Combining with Dipo to score 18 of the Pacers’ 29 fourth-quarter points, Bojan continues his monstrous season from behind the arc. Not that we’re especially surprised.
Next: Pacers holding the line in latest power rankings
Up next, the Pacers continue their stretch at home this Friday, December 8th at 7 PM EST against the streaking Cavs. Gulp.