Indiana Pacers vs Chicago Bulls Match Player Stats On Dec 29, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Dec 29, 2017

CHICAGO -- Rookie Lauri Markkanen scored a career-high 32 points, Nikola Mirotic scored 28 and the Chicago Bulls hit a season-high 18 3-pointers in a 119-107 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Friday.

Robin Lopez and Bobby Portis each scored 12 points for the Bulls (13-22), who have won 10 of their last 12 games. Justin Holiday and Jerian Grant also scored 11 points for Chicago, which finished the game 18 of 39 from 3-point range. Grant also had 11 assists.

Darren Collison scored 30 points for the Pacers (19-17), who lost their third straight game and again played without injured leading scorer Victor Oladipo (right knee soreness and swelling). Lance Stephenson, who started for Oladipo for the second straight game, finished with 18 points and nine rebounds while Domantas Sabonis scored 14 points. Myles Turner (11 points) and Thaddeus Young (10 points) also reached double figures for Indiana.

Chicago, which led by as many as 19 points, saw its lead drop to just seven points early in the fourth quarter. But the Bulls went on a 12-1 run to push its advantage to 98-80 when Portis hit a jumper with 9:19 remaining.

The Pacers got to within eight points in the third quarter, but the Bulls responded as Markkanen connected on 3-pointer and Lopez hit a short jumper to push the lead back to 13. Markkanen scored 10 points in the third quarter when the Bulls led by double figures before Collison hit a jumper with 2.3 seconds remaining to get the Pacers to within 86-77.

The Bulls led 64-52 at halftime.

NOTES: Pacers G Victor Oladipo missed his second straight game with right knee soreness and swelling. Lance Stephenson started in Oladipo's place. Coach Nate McMillan said Oladipo is doubtful for Indiana's game Sunday against Minnesota and will be re-evaluated next week. ...Bulls starting G Kris Dunn was a late scratch with left patella tendinitis. ...G Zach LaVine (torn ACL) will begin a stretch of six straight days of taking contact in practice Saturday. LaVine will practice with the Bulls Saturday and then spend four straight days with Chicago's G League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls, before re-joining the Bulls next week. "Obviously, it's a very important part of the process for Zach," coach Fred Hoiberg said...The Bulls recalled F/C Cristiano Felicio from Windy City on Friday after he recorded a double-double (22 points, 14 rebounds) on Thursday against the Canton Charge in Cleveland.