Ay you may have already known, the Indiana Pacers are officially the most unpredictable team in basketball. After a deflating 1-3 slate over the last four games, the Blue ad Gold managed to score a decisive victory over the Chicago Bulls, one of the leaders in the East record-wise, to improve to 8-11 on the season and put a hold on their road woes.
The Indiana Pacers cruised to an easy victory against the red-hot Chicago Bulls
Facing a fatigued Bulls team, the Pacers led for almost the entire game, never trailing after the second minute in the first quarter as their lead ballooned to as much as 35. This was perhaps Indiana’s most complete game so far, as they limited Chicago to a season-worst scoring output with 77 while having a great offensive outing.
The starting group’s impressive play against the Pelicans continued against the Bulls, as all starters were already on double figures at halftime, eventually finishing with 75 points combined against Chicago’s 45. Both DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine ended the game scoring below 20 points.
Domantas Sabonis was once again the leading scorer for the Pacers, tallying a 21-point, 11-rebound double-double while Malcolm Brogdon added 16 markers and seven assists. On the flip side, DeRozan’s 18 led the Bulls in a losing cause.
As the Blue and Gold tidies up for an upcoming homestand, here are three takeaways from their dominant victory over the Bulls.
1. The Indiana Pacers’ assertiveness using their size advantage will be key as they seek to improve their record
While the Pacers’ record is puny compared to the Bulls’, their size advantage was a key component in their victory. With Chicago already missing the services of Nikola Vucevic and Patrick Williams, Indiana was assertive and physical all night, pummeling their opponents inside.
The Blue and Gold badly outrebounded their counterparts, 59-38, tallying their most boards in a game this season. I’ve previously pointed out that this is a much improved rebounding team, and sustaining that play on the boards will be crucial. In fact, the Pacers are 6-2 so far when winning the rebounding battle (or ending in a deadlock on the boards).
Indy also dominated inside, registering 46 points in the paint against Chicago’s 32. Feeding Domantas Sabonis or Myles Turner on the block more, especially against small-ball teams, will give the Pacers a lot more cushion to play with on the offensive end while giving them a chance to punish smaller squads with their offensive rebounding.
2. Will Chris Duarte play off the bench for the Indiana Pacers moving forward?
After struggling in his return from injury against the Hornets, coach Rick Carlisle moved rookie Chris Duarte to the second unit against the Pelicans and once again, versus the Bulls, casting a question on his role with the team moving forward with how the current starting group has played in their last two victories.
An early frontrunner for Rookie of the Year, Duarte’s play has quietly waned since the start of November, with the wing man averaging just 9.9 points per game in 25.8 minutes per contest. While his diminished playing time is a big reason for his more modest outputs, he hasn’t looked as comfortable operating in a non-featured role on offense, struggling to get much rhythm with lesser shots available for taking.
For the meantime, Duarte may be better off playing with the second unit. While he’s still not at his October level, he should have ampler opportunities as a featured option off the bench and give the group a more unpredictable jolt on both ends, as his shot creation and secondary playmaking are better fits for the nominal sixth man role compared to Justin Holiday’s straightforward skillset as a spot-up shooter.
3. Myles Turner’s offense has been a surprising barometer of success for the Indiana Pacers
Myles Turner always plays tenacious, game-changing defense, with the entire league taking more notice of his prowess as a defensive anchor this season more than ever before. However, when he’s on his zone offensively, the Indiana Pacers simply follow suit as an entire unit.
So far, seven of the Pacers’ eights wins this season have Turner finishing with double figures. You may shrug this off as coincidence, but the team is simply humming when Myles is not shying away on offense and firing from all over the floor as it indicates a more spread-out attack for the team where they do not simply rely on predictable two-man actions.
Turner cannot be reasonably expected to lead the team offensively, but his constant presence as a secondary scorer has been pivotal to the Pacers in this campaign. Opponents will not be sent chilling by his raw numbers on offense given more fearsome acuity as a stopper, but punishing teams for overlooking his scoring ability could be what gives Indiana that decisive edge moving forward.