Bulls at Pacers
The Chicago Bulls continue to spiral downward and attempt to break a
four-game losing streak when they visit the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday.
Chicago fell below .500 for the first time this season when it lost
102-100 to the Atlanta Hawks on Monday and stands 2 1/2 games behind the
eighth-place Detroit Pistons for the final Eastern Conference playoff
berth.
The Bulls have lost 11 of their past 17 games and are in jeopardy of missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2007-08 season. "We are still fighting, still trying to find our rhythm," point guard Derrick Rose said afterward. "Be mentally strong, even though we are going through a rough time. Stay together and make sure everyone is on the same page." Indiana is in seventh place in the East — a half-game ahead of the Pistons — and it can move close toward to wrapping up a berth by handing Chicago another loss. The Pacers have won three of their past four games after delivering a 104-101 victory over the Houston Rockets on Sunday.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CSN Chicago, FSN Indiana
ABOUT THE BULLS (36-37): Chicago, which is tied for ninth place in the East with rising Washington, is having trouble on the defensive side and is allowing an average of 108.5 points during the four-game skid. The contest against Indiana begins a stretch in which five of the next six games are on the road with the lone home game being a pivotal outing against the Pistons. Shooting guard Jimmy Butler continues to struggle, scoring 15 points on 5-of-16 shooting in Monday's loss, and he has failed to reach 20 points in each of the past six straight games.
ABOUT THE PACERS (39-34): Forward Paul George scored 25 points and guard Monta Ellis added 23 in Sunday's win over the Rockets but the most pivotal player was center Ian Mahinmi. The 29-year-old journeyman matched his career high of 19 points and collected 11 rebounds one night after scoring 18 points against the Brooklyn Nets. Mahinmi has posted nine double-doubles this season after having just three during his previous seven NBA campaigns.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Bulls are 2-1 against the Pacers this season — Indiana won 104-92 on Nov. 27 on its homecourt.
2. Chicago SF Mike Dunleavy is 15-of-51 shooting during the last eight contests.
3. Indiana rookie PF Myles Turner is averaging just three points on 2-of-12 shooting in the past two games.