Losses are starting to snowball for the banged-up Chicago Bulls.
For the Indiana Pacers, opponents’ big runs have been bothersome.
Reversing course and building momentum will be the aim for both sides during Friday’s game in Chicago.
Indiana bemoaned the 22-3 run it yielded at the end of the first half of a 135-120 home loss to Denver on Wednesday. Separate smaller runs by the Cleveland Cavaliers added up in a defeat two nights earlier.
“We gotta avoid those runs,” Pacers forward Pascal Siakam said. “Most of the time, three quarters of the game is good. It’s hard when we let ourselves get into those holes where we can’t get ourselves out of. It’s tough to keep fighting an uphill battle the whole rest of the game. We can’t allow that.”
While keeping foes in check ultimately remains the goal, the Pacers don’t have to look far for a precedent of their perseverance.
Hosting the Bulls on Saturday, Indiana fell behind by seven points after allowing a 15-2 run to open the fourth quarter. The Pacers rallied, however, with Siakam’s last-second jumper clinching a 103-101 victory.
Siakam led Indiana with 23 points against Denver and Andrew Nembhard followed with 16. Six Pacers scored in double figures, yet the balance and discipline went missing during the Nuggets’ big spurt.
“It’s maybe just a lack of concentration or effort,” Nembhard said. “At any time in the game, teams can run it up quick in the league. It’s tough to come back from those types of leads.”
Chicago has lost five in a row, including a pair by double figures, while dropping 11 of 14 overall.
Seven players missed Wednesday’s 113-103 home loss to Brooklyn due to injury, including Coby White (calf), Kevin Huerter (hamstring) and Isaac Okoro (back). The Bulls also announced before tipoff that first-round draft pick Noa Essengue would need season-ending surgery on his left shoulder.
Still, Josh Giddey (21.0 points per game) and Nikola Vucevic (16.6 ppg) are lineup stalwarts, and Vucevic has been vocal about not using the team’s health hardships as a crutch.
“Just got to stick with it, continue to work, continue to believe in what we are doing,” Vucevic said. “Hopefully when we get some guys back that will help, as well.
“Everyone is going through injuries, so that’s not an excuse. We have to find a way. Ups and downs are part of the NBA season. It has to be us to find a way to figure it out, get back to playing at the level we know we can.”
Giddey has offered a steady hand during the slide. He notched his fifth triple-double of the season Wednesday, contributing 28 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. Vucevic had 16 points and 11 rebounds for his fourth double-double in the past five games.
Bulls coach Billy Donovan called on the team to return to the strong ball movement and awareness that led to a 6-1 start.
“Who is guarding who? Who to put in actions,” Donovan said. “Out of actions, who are they guarding? What is happening?”
The Pacers are 6-4 in the past 10 games against the Bulls, including three wins in four meetings last season.
