Indiana Pacers (18-58) beat Chicago Bulls (29-47) 145-126 on the road on Wednesday, April 1 in a shootout, with the two teams combining for 271 points.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Pacers had the better start, winning the first 39-33 to lead by 6 after one. The Pacers kept the pressure on with a 44-33 second quarter, carrying a 17-point lead into halftime.
The Pacers won the third 34-26 to create some separation, taking a 25-point lead into the fourth. The Bulls took the fourth 34-28; the Pacers held on for a 145-126 regulation win.
What decided it
The Pacers got more from their shots, finishing at 66.7% effective field-goal shooting compared with 55.2% for the Bulls. The Pacers took better care of the ball, turning it over on 11.8% of possessions compared with 17.5% for the Bulls. That shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
The Bulls did win one battle, the free-throw line: FT rate of 19.6 against 8.8. The Pacers made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 112 possessions per team, the Pacers produced 129 points per 100 possessions to 112.1 for the Bulls.
The Pacers' reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 77-42.
Who made the difference
Pascal Siakam was the game's biggest individual force for IND: 25 pts, 4 reb, 5 ast on 11-16 shooting. His Game Score of 22.9 led everyone. His team was +22 with him on the floor.
Matas Buzelis led the Bulls with 17 pts, 9 reb, 6 ast on 5-11 shooting, good for a 15.8 Game Score.
What it means
By our Win Meter this was an upset: The Pacers entered with about a 28% chance.
Across the last 7 meetings in our records, Indiana Pacers lead 6-1.
The Pacers are now 18-58, and the Bulls are 29-47. The Pacers last five before this game: L-W-L-L-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.