Chicago Bulls 112 vs. Indiana Pacers 106
March 28th, 2009 by Andrew WamboldtThe Chicago Bulls took on the Indiana Pacers at the United Center today in a matinee game.
The Bulls started off looking good, keeping it a tie game at 12 going into the first timeout. But in the first quarter, Brandon Rush started heating up, hitting shot after shot as the Bulls stalled out. The Pacers would pull away with a double digit lead.
But then Ben Gordon came back into the game and answered Rush’s scoring attack to get the Bulls back into the game. Then Brad Miller joined in with a scoring tear of his own as the Bulls reclaimed the lead. The Bulls trailed going into the half 58 to 54 after T.J. Ford hit a falling scoop shot at the buzzer.
The Bulls would pull away a little bit, but the Pacers would reel them back in and even take a small lead. But behind two clutch three pionters from John Salmons, the Bulls were able to seal the win and get out of this game with a win, beaing the Pacers 112 to 106.
Ben Gordon led the Bulls in scoring with 25 points. Gordon also had 5 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals. He just played a nice overall game, and he was key in getting the Bulls back in the game.
John Salmons had a steady 22 points. He played good throughout the game and came up big in the clutch.
Tyrus Thomas was probably the best overall Bull today, finishing with 18 points, 8 rebounds, 7 blocks. However, he did come up 2 rebounds and 3 blocks short of Reggie Miller’s desired triple double. He was blocking a lot of shots, and those blocked shots really saved the Bulls today in this close game. He really didn’t make any mistakes today.
Derrick Rose was also close to a triple double, finishing with 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists. He of course isn’t expected to average a triple double by Reggie Miller, so unlike Thomas, this game isn’t a disappointment for Rose. Rose didn’t seem to be overbearing in the game, it was really a quiet near triple double.
The Pacers got all of their scoring from the pair of Danny Granger and Brandon Rush. Danny Granger led all scorers in the game with 32 points and Brandon Rush added in 29 points. That was a career high for the rookie. It wasn’t that they were picking apart the Bulls, they were simply just making their shots.
Brad Miller had 17 points. He abused the Pacers’ big men with his crafty moves.
T.J. Ford had 14 points and 6 assists off the bench. Jarrett Jack, who got the start at point guard had 10 points and 9 assists.
Jeff Foster had 18 rebounds in the game. Foster had a really nice screen on Ben Gordon that sent Gordon to the ground. Of course this worked to Indiana’s detriment when Gordon was able to knock the ball to create havoc that led to an Indiana turnover, and then Gordon got off on a fastbreak in which the Bulls scored.
With the win, the Bulls improve to 36-38 on the season.
Closing Comments
The Bulls continue to improve their playoff odds with every passing day. The team is playing hard and beating the teams that they are supposed to be. The Bulls need to continue to go hard for the rest of the season, not just to secure their spot in the playoffs, but to try to secure a better spot. There isn’t a remaining opponent for the Bulls that is a particularly good team. It’s just going to be a matter of the Bulls showing up and winning games they’re supposed to win.
Today was a very good win for the Bulls, hopefully they can keep this up against the Raptors tomorrow afternoon.
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Tags: Ben Gordon, Brad Miller, Brandon Rush, Chicago Bulls, Danny Granger, Derrick Rose, hard screen, Indiana Pacers, Jarrett Jack, Jeff Foster, John Salmons, March 2009, T.J. Ford, Tyrus Thomas
