vs INDIANA PACERS (18-12) @ CHICAGO BULLS (17-12) Game 30, Home Game 18 Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2015 – 7:00 PM CT United Center WGN-TV / ESPN 1000 AM / WRTO-AM BULLS VS. PACERS THIS SEASON Nov. 16 @ Chicago – W, 96-95 Nov. 27 @ Indiana – L, 104-92 Dec. 30 @ Chicago – Mar. 29 @ Indiana – ALLTIME VS. PACERS 92-82 BULLS/PACERS STREAKS BULLS CURRENT STREAK ......... 1 Loss BULLS HOME STREAK ................ 2 Wins BULLS ROAD STREAK ............. 2 Losses Game Notes Chicago Bulls (17-12) Home 12-5 Road 5-7 Bulls Preseason Averages: PPG: 101.0 (Opp: 100.0) RPG: 48.9 (Opp: 48.0) APG: 22.6 (Opp: 21.8) SPG: 6.55 (Opp: 7.52) BPG: 6.28 (Opp: 5.17) FG%: .429 (Opp: .420) FT%: .760 (Opp: .709) 3p%: .358 (Opp: .331) Probable Bulls starters Derrick Rose - PG - Jimmy Butler - SG - Nikola Mirotic - SF - Taj Gibson - PF - Pau Gasol - C - Bulls Regular Season Stats Leaders Points: Butler 20.8, Gasol 16.4 Rebounds: Gasol 10.7, Noah 8.8 Assists: Rose 5.1, Noah 3.8 Steals: Butler 1.90, Mirotic 0.90 Blocks: Gasol 2.21, Noah 1.12 FG%: Gibson .514, Portis .477 FT%: Hinrich .909, Snell .889 3FG%: Hinrich .467, Moore .429 Regular Season Player Highs 2015/2016 Points: Butler 43 Field Goals Made: Rose, Butler 14 Field Goals Attempts: Rose 34 Free Throws Made: Butler 14 Free Throws Attempts: Butler 16 3-Point FGM: Mirotic & McDermott 5 3-Point FGA: Mirotic & McDermott 8 Rebounds: Gasol 19 Off. Rebounds: Noah 7 Def. Rebounds: Gasol 17 Assists: Rose 9 Blocks: Gasol 6 Steals: Butler 4 Minutes: Butler 56 Double-Double: Gasol 15 Triple-Double: None Injury report Mike Dunleavy (back) is OUT. Joakim Noah (shoulder) is OUT. Doug McDermott (right knee) is QUESTIONABLE. For a full report and the latest on Bulls' injuries, check out the AthletiCo Injury Report. Indiana Pacers (18-12) Home 11-4 Road 7-8 Probable Pacers starters George Hill - PG Monta Ellis - SG C.J. Miles - SF Paul George - PF Ian Mahinmi - C Injury report Jordan Hill is OUT. C.J. Miles is QUESTIONABLE. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A nice, gritty win. Another hero from the bench in Aaron Brooks. That guy is a solid backup guard. I don't know why people hate on him so. Taj doing the dirty work well. Portis is the best young player on the team it seems. Sure, its been a short dose and Mirotic had a nice month last season, but Portis looks like a legit NBA player already. Once he become a bit more comfortable the Bulls could be set at the 4 for a while. He's even a little bit stretchy! Beautiful bit of playmaking to close out the game.
Jimmy Butler's tip-in with 1.2 left in OT hands Bulls win over Pacers It was a broken play, and the result made the Chicago Bulls' night. Jimmy Butler tipped in a basket with 1.2 seconds left in overtime, and the Bulls beat the Indiana Pacers 102-100 Wednesday night despite playing withoutDerrick Rose. read more http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=400828365
I'll play Debbie Downer. We've seen a bunch of games recently where the opposition has outperformed their record: Dallas, Detroit even Brooklyn. This was not one of those games. The Pacers looked like shit and the Bulls looked worse. I am losing confidence in Hoiberg with each passing game. I like his lineups; I'm not ready to judge his offensive schemes yet (I could see how a read and react like he's set up could fair much better over a playoff series); I think his defensive schemes have been fine, when the team is playing with energy. His in game strategy and play calling, however, has been sorely lacking. Hoiberg seems to regularly get out coached. I feel like there's a decent chance that the front office needed to lineup a better bench coach for Hoiberg -- that he's going to be more of a Doc Rivers or Larry Bird type who is strong at managing and less so at dictating. Not everybody has every club, and they brought Fred in to manage after Thibodeau concentrated power. This coaching staff doesn't seem to be getting it done though. Mirotic is playing like crap. That is all I have to say on that front. The good takeaways: -- I thought Doug and Snell, especially Snell, were able to contribute without putting up large offensive games. That was unusual and nice to see. -- I am happy that Portis seems to be adjusting to the pace of the game so quickly. It makes it so much easier to get the guy minutes when he contributes like he has. I especially like how Butler in the fourth quarter specifically called for him to set his screens. It's not nothing that his teammates like playing with him. I think once he figures out how to play the end of defensive possessions -- when to run, rebound, or give help defense -- he's probably going to be the best big on the roster.
For all the obvious flaws of this team, one thing they do fairly well is win games. I don't see this team winning a championship, but must admit that I prefer seeing my favorite team win games more than I enjoy seeing them lose them.
I felt the opposite way despite the game's aesthetics. We were without Derrick and Jo, the Pacers are a playoff team and I can't remember the last time they didn't give us a difficult game. They've always played us tough since Vogel's been coach. I think regular season success usually comes down to finding ways to eke out of ugly situations. Isn't that what Jim Boylen is here to do? I know he's a defense guy, but I get the impression he does a lot of the granular in-game stuff as well, which is why he's the associate head coach, and not just an assistant. In any event I agree with your general assessment of Hoiberg so far. The big picture stuff seems fine and stylistically he seems like more of a delegator/manager than a hands-on guy. Agreed. He really seems to be in a funk right now. I don't think he's as bad as he's playing. I have a hard time imagining that his month long stretch last year as a starter and all the +/- stats are a fluke because teams have stopped biting for his pump fakes. He's gotten out of his head and he needs to find a way to get back in it. I think the big decision the Bulls have to make with their frontcourt is between Portis and Niko. I don't think there's enough minutes to develop them both. If you're looking to make a trade for a legit wing it'd probably be necessary to include one or the other with some combination of picks + Snell/Doug to make the offer enticing.
