Bulls storm back from 20 down but fall in OT
For three-and-a-half quarters, this was unrecognizable basketball for anyone who has followed the Bulls this season.
Somebody must have hit the wrong button in the satellite truck and replaced Bulls-Pacers with a 1 vs. 16 game from the NCAA Tournament.
The Bulls trailed by 20 points midway through the third quarter Friday and were still down 15 with just over eight minutes remaining. This from a team that has lost just once all season by more than 12 points.
So naturally, Derrick Rose led a furious comeback.
He scored 19 points in the fourth quarter, including 3 clutch free throws with 1.2 seconds on the clock to force overtime, but the Bulls had nothing left and lost to the Pacers 115-108 at Conseco Fieldhouse.
Rose finished with 42 points and fouled out on a pivotal call with 24.4 seconds left in the extra session. He hit 11 of 27 shots from the field and 15 of 18 free throws.
This loss snapped an eight-game winning streak for the Bulls (49-19) and also ended their run at perfection in the Central Division. They are now 12-1 against division opponents.
“That's a team we could possibly see in the playoffs,” Rose said. “I can't wait to play them again.”
The Bulls could probably be forgiven for a rare poor performance on the second leg of back-to-back road games. They beat New Jersey on Thursday, while Indiana was off. The Pacers (30-39) have also been more competitive under new coach Frank Vogel, going 13-12.
But this performance did not meet coach Tom Thibodeau's standards of excellence. Indiana scored 62 points in the first half and had 89 at the end of three quarters. Eleven of the previous 12 Bulls' opponents didn't score 90 in the entire game.
“We've got to do a lot better. This is a step backwards,” Thibodeau told reporters after the game. “We should be able to count on our defense and rebounding every night. When we don't defend, we're not very good.”
The good news is Boston was clobbered in Houston on Friday, keeping the Bulls a half-game ahead for first place in the Eastern Conference.
The Bulls lost steam early in overtime, failing to score on their first four possessions. Indiana's Danny Granger knocked down a 3-pointer to send the home team ahead 109-102 with 2:50 left.
Both Granger and Hansbrough fouled out, and Rose's driving lay in brought the Bulls within 111-108 with 43.4 seconds left. Pacers guard Dahntay Jones slid under Rose on the shot, so it appeared to be a 3-point play opportunity to cut the lead to 2, but the referees didn't make the call.
On the other end, the Bulls came up with a loose ball and this time a foul was called on Rose for reaching in from behind on a pass to Josh McRoberts. Rose went to the bench with 6 fouls, McRoberts hit both free throws to put the Pacers up by 5 and that was the end.
“I've seen a lot of teams that would have sort of come out in that overtime in a fog after that type of comeback by Chicago,” Vogel said. “Our guys didn't do that. They kept their composure, their poise and handled their business in overtime.”
Second-year Indiana forward Tyler Hansbrough continued his recent run of strong play with 29 points and 12 rebounds.