2 Studs, 1 dud from Indiana Pacers big-time win over Chicago Bulls
By Jack Simone
After a rough stretch of basketball, the Indiana Pacers seem to be on the way back up, thanks, in part, to a lineup change made by head coach Rick Carlisle.
Indiana has now won two games in a row, the latest of which being a 120-104 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night. The new starting five is Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Jalen Smith, and Myles Turner.
Before their current two-game win streak, the Pacers had gone 1-6 in their last seven games, but now, they are in the process of working their way back up the Eastern Conference standings.
Let’s take a look at who the two studs and one stud were in the Pacers’ big win over the Bulls.
Stud - Myles Turner
Following the In-Season Tournament (and during the final against the Los Angeles Lakers), Myles Turner was getting hounded on defense, with the likes of Anthony Davis, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Karl-Anthony Towns all putting up big numbers.
And while he may not have always been the primary defender against those guys, as the Indiana Pacers’ big man in the middle, he’ll often be the fall guy.
Against the Bulls, Turner was awesome. He finished the game with 24 points, six rebounds, and three blocks while shooting 8-of-12 from the field and 1-of-2 from behind the three-point line.
Chicago is without Nikola Vucevic, who is set to miss roughly a week, so the Bulls sent out Andre Drummond. And while Drummond did well on the glass, pulling down 16 rebounds (including seven offensive boards), Turner was still a +30 on the night.