© Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Chicago Bulls vs Indiana Pacers - GAME DAY PREVIEW
The Chicago Bulls face the tough task of taking on the Indiana Pacers on Monday night at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. EDT with the Bulls looking to bounce back from the 118-102 thrashing they suffered at the hands of the Detroit Pistons on Saturday. That loss dropped the Bulls to 1-2 for the season.
Slow start
After opening the season with a 20-point loss to Oklahoma City at home, the Bulls followed that up with a 104-103 squeaker over the Toronto Raptors. However, whatever momentum that win over the Raptors generated evaporated against the Pistons on Saturday.
Chicago was outrebounded 53-32 by Detroit and had no answer for the Pistons' offensive onslaught in the second half, as they scored 61 points to blow open what had been a tight game.
This season’s start is similar to last season’s as the Bulls can’t seem to replicate their tremendous start during the 2021 season wherein they were led by two-way guard Lonzo Ball. That season, they won six of their first seven games and finished sixth in the Eastern Conference with a 46-36 card.
“You can’t really compare year one,” DeRozan said. “We had Lonzo Ball. He made a helluva difference running the show. Without that, we’ve been constantly trying to figure out what works for us. Some nights we show individual ways of it working, but as a collective, we’re still working to find a balance.”
Off to a hot start
The Pacers are off to a hot start this season, winning their first two games to stand atop the Central Division. They opened the season with a resounding 143-120 shellacking of the Washington Wizards and followed that with a 125-113 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The head of the snake has clearly been point guard Tyrese Haliburton, who leads the team in scoring and assists with averages of 20.5 points and 12.0 assists per game.
