No comeback this time: Pacers drop Bulls 98-91
INDIANAPOLIS - With 3:04 left in the contest and the Bulls struggling to pull ahead in a close game against Indiana, coach Vinny Del Negro decided to pull Bulls veterans Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah in favor of NBA veterans Brad Miller and John Salmons, who happened to be playing their first game for the Bulls.
While Noah methodically marched to the sideline, Thomas sprinted over with a smile on his face and slapped hands with everyone on the bench before sitting down.
Thomas was trying to keep a good attitude about the changes that will be in store as the Bulls figure out how to incorporate three new players acquired just before the trade deadline. Tim Thomas also made his debut Sunday and played well in 8 minutes of action.
At the one-minute mark, Tyrus Thomas was back on the floor after Indiana guard T.J. Ford hit a bank shot over Miller and Kirk Hinrich that most likely would never have met the backboard if Thomas was the one jumping over to help.
Whatever combination the Bulls used, it ultimately didn't work. Ford and the Pacers pulled out a 98-91 victory as the Bulls failed to record their second three-game winning streak of the season.
"We haven't had any practices, so it's hard to run any plays," Del Negro said. "There are only so many things we can do right now. I thought our guys at times played hard. I didn't think we had a sense of urgency like we needed to in this game, but we battled back and gave ourselves a chance."
The Bulls (25-31) erased a 14-point third-quarter deficit, but their chance evaporated when Ford decided to take over. The veteran point guard, generously listed as 6-feet tall, hit just 4 for 16 shots from the field before knocking down a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 3:54 remaining. The Bulls got back within a point twice, but Ford (19 points) buried 3 more outside shots to put Indiana ahead 95-88 with 1:09 left.
The Pacers (24-34) were without all-star forward Danny Granger because of a foot injury, but it's misleading to say this should have been an easy game for the Bulls. Indiana improved to 5-1 on the season when Granger doesn't play and is also 11-2 at Conseco Fieldhouse in 2009.
The home team was able to play unusually strong defense, especially down the stretch. After hitting 2 of their first 3 shots in the fourth quarter, the Bulls went 4-for-19 during the final 10:30. The Pacers started the day allowing 106.8 points per game, fourth-worst in the league.
Power forward Troy Murphy led the Pacers with 27 points and 14 rebounds, which should be tough for the Bulls to swallow, because Murphy scores almost all his points when defenders leave to help on others.
Ben Gordon led the Bulls with 28 points, but slowed down after hitting 10-of-12 shots for 22 points in the first half. Among the new Bulls, Salmons scored 12 points in 25 minutes. Miller hit 1-of-5 shots for 6 points and 10 rebounds in 19 1/2 minutes. Tim Thomas helped spark the third-quarter run and scored 5 points.
"There was a lot of nervous energy," Salmons said. "I felt like I was going 100 miles an hour. After a while, it just turned into regular basketball and I got pretty comfortable."
Added Miller, "I'll get more playing time and understand what guys like - who wants to go left, who wants to go right. That's the way I like to play, just knowing the little details of everyone's game, what their strengths are."