Skip to content

Bulls somehow hold on against Pacers after near-epic collapse

Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

The Indiana Pacers trailed the Chicago Bulls by 16 points with a shade under 11 minutes to play Monday. They had shot just 39.7 percent to that point, were getting beat on the glass and had been given that Elsa treatment from long range, staying frozen with just three triples.

And then the script was completely flipped, with the Bulls going ice cold instead and the Pacers' bench unit figuring things out on offense. That 82-66 lead lasted less than five minutes, with the Pacers taking their first lead since the opening quarter with 6:15 to go.

In that 4:40 stretch that the Pacers won 18-2, the Bulls went 0-of-9 from the floor to 8-of-10 for the Pacers. All of the momentum had shifted entirely.

And then, because this is what they do, the Bulls settled down, winning the final 6:10 of play 9-6 by completely snuffing out the Pacers' offense. The Bulls continued to struggle on offense, but a strong rebounding effort from Joakim Noah and a clutch 3-pointer from Jimmy Butler were just enough.

That, and C.J. Watson missing a wide-open, game-winning corner three as time expired.

(Courtesy: ESPN)

The Bulls hung on for the 92-90 victory with Watson's late miss, giving them their seventh consecutive victory and pushing them to 22-9 overall, tied for third in the Eastern Conference. It certainly wasn't pretty, as it sometimes isn't for the Bulls, but they've won a league-best 14 road games, fought through myriad injuries and are looking primed for a push to the top of the East by season's end.

Butler was excellent once again, pouring in 27 points with nine rebounds and four steals, while Derrick Rose struggled with his shot and his shot selection in scoring 17 points on 5-of-20 shooting, albeit with six dimes. It was Chris Copeland standing out for the Pacers, scoring 13 of his team-high 17 points in the fourth quarter.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox