Bulls fall on Siakam’s buzzer beater in 103-101 loss |
Dustin Riese
· · 4 hours ago
INDIANAPOLIS - The worst part about having the Chicago Bulls (9-10) be such a mid-tier team is that you get tons of inconsistent play across the board. Even when they were winning games, there was never that feeling that this team was different, as they were bound to fall back into their old ways at some point.
Not only has that happened, but it has happened at such a frantic pace that they are even making some of the worst teams in the league look good. Take Saturday night against the Indiana Pacers (4-16) at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, for example. For the first time in seemingly forever, the Bulls' defense wasn't the issue; it was an offense held well under its season average. Despite that, the Bulls still had an opportunity to win the game, as a late-game goaltending call against Tre Jones tied things up at 101-101 with less than eight seconds to go. Needing perhaps their biggest stop of the season to get this game into Overtime, it was the Pacers who had the last laugh as Pascal Siakam came through with a game-winning jumper at the horn to lift the Pacers to the 103-101 victory. The loss drops the Bulls below .500 for the first time all season and hands them two consecutive losses against some of the worst teams in the league, which has to be a concern moving forward. The early stages of the game were all about the Pacers' big man Jay Huff, who came out firing to score seven of his team's first 11 points. That accounted for half his offensive total as he finished with 14 points and eight boards. After Ayo Dosunmu and Nikola Vucevic got the offense rolling for the Bulls, it was Josh Giddey catching fire as he knocked down several shots to put the Bulls in front 18-12. Bennedict Mathurin and Isaiah Jackson trimmed it to 20–16 before another late three from Mathurin put the Pacers up by two late in the first. All was not lost as Matas Buzelis connected on a three of his own to beat the horn, putting the Bulls in front 27-26 after one. Just as quickly as the Bulls gained momentum with that triple, it was the Pacers taking it back, as Jarace Walker, Siakam, and TJ McConnell sparked an 11-1 run to open the second, giving the Pacers a 37-28 lead early before pushing it to 40-29. Down but not out, the Bulls continued to battle back with Emmanuel Miller, Dosunmu, and Vucevic all connecting from behind the arc as Chicago pulled within 46-44 only to have the Pacers push that lead back out to 61-54 after one half of play. Coming out of the half, Giddey sparked the Bulls with a floater and layup, and Dosunmu drilled a deep three, then finished back‑cut layups to pull Chicago back to even at 63-63 as the momentum was starting to shift back in the Bulls' favor. Aaron Nembhard and Siakam responded with a three, a turnaround, and a series of drives to nudge the Pacers back ahead 70–66, but Kevin Huerter’s threes and a Giddey drive kept the Bulls within one possession at 73–71 and then 75–71 Pacers. Indiana made another push as Mathurin hit a pull‑up and finger roll, and Jackson dominated inside with a hook, layup, and dunk, extending the margin back to 83–76 before late buckets by Tre Jones and Miller closed the quarter at 86–80 Pacers. It was in the fourth quarter that things began to slow down, as neither offense could score at the same pace as earlier in the game. Credit that to both defenses as they began to ratchet up the pressure, forcing each other into difficult looks across the court. Chicago did manage to get things rolling midway through the fourth, opening up a five-point lead that looked to be the knockout blow to the Pacers' upset bid. That was until Indiana mounted one last comeback of their own to take a one-point lead and less than 30 seconds to go. Far from over, Chicago was hoping to come up clutch, and with the help of a Pacers goaltending of Jones, it was the Bulls who tied things up 101-101, with Overtime seeming like a foregone conclusion. Siakam changed all that as the Pacers had the ball in their hands with less than 10 seconds to go and a shot to win it as Siakam knocked down a game-winning mid-range jumper at the horn to give the Pacers a stunning 103-101 win. In what has become the norm this season, Josh Giddey posted another double-double, leading the Bulls with 17 points and 11 assists. Chicago also got 16 points from Vucevic and 15 points apiece from Kevin Huerter and Dosunmu, as their starting five wasn't as productive as it typically has been. When it comes to the standout performances, Jones had one of his better nights, coming away with 17 points in 29 minutes off the bench, including the game-tying layup in the end. Siakam's jumper capped off what was a massive night for him as he led all scorers with 24 points and pulled down nine rebounds. Huff and Andrew Nembhard chipped in with 14 points, with Isaiah Jackson adding 14 more off the bench for Indiana. Chicago will look to get back on track on Monday as it faces off against the Orlando Magic.
