Pacers fall short in Chicago 96-95

The Indiana Pacers (6-5) squared off against the Chicago Bulls (7-3) Monday night at the United Center in Chicago.

Indiana was without George Hill (illness), Rodney Stuckey (ankle), and Myles Turner (thumb) for Monday night’s contest, and the absences were evident from tipoff. The Pacers fell behind on an early 15-2 run from Chicago and trailed 31-21 after the first quarter. Indiana continued to trail for the remainder of the game until the final minutes of the fourth quarter when Monta Ellis tied the game at 92. Indiana failed to take the lead in the closing seconds and fell just short to the Bulls 96-95.

Paul George led the way for Indiana with 26 points (the seventh consecutive game George has scored at least 26 points), 5 assists, and 7 rebounds. George was 9 of 20 from the floor including 4 of 5 from behind the arc. PG13 also took Indiana’s possible game-winning shot, but a questionable no-call on the game’s final possession. Monta Ellis finished with 20 points, 6 assists, 4 boards, and led most of Indiana’s fourth quarter comeback, while C.J. Miles notched a season-high 19 points including 5 of 8 form downtown. Off the bench, Lavoy Allen finished with 8 points and collected 6 rebounds.

For Chicago, Derrick Rose scored 23 points and dished out 6 assists before leaving the game in the fourth quarter with a mild ankle sprain. Jimmy Butler added 17 points and defended Indiana’s potential game-winning shot that allowed Chicago to walk away with the victory. Chicago’s bench scored 39 points including 11 points from Doug McDermott.

After 11 games, the Pacers now stand in third place in the Central Division behind the Cleveland Cavaliers (8-2) and the Chicago Bulls (7-3). Even at 6-5, the Pacers have won 6 of their last 8 eight games, with both losses coming on the road to division foes.

The Pacers now look to get back on track as they travel to Philadelphia for the second game of their brief two-game road trip to face off against the 76ers (0-11) on Wednesday night.