Bulls at Pacers
One week after they were embarrassed in Chicago, the Indiana Pacers look to return the favor when they host the rival Bulls on Saturday. Chicago led by as many as 29 points in the second half en route to a 118-101 win over the Pacers in the first matchup between the Central Division foes, giving the Bulls five wins in the last six meetings.
That was part of a 3-0 start for Chicago, but Dwyane Wade's new team has dropped consecutive games since then, the last a 117-104 loss to the New York Knicks at home on Friday. Wade had 35 points and made 5-of-7 from 3-point range while Jimmy Butler added 26 points, but the rest of the Bulls' starters combined to shoot 8-of-23 from the floor. The Pacers are 2-0 at home and 0-3 on the road, which includes the 17-point loss in Chicago and a 125-107 setback at Milwaukee on Thursday in which they allowed the Bucks to shoot 58 percent from the floor. "I know how good we can be; I know how good we were,” Indiana forward Paul George told reporters. "We're nowhere close to it. It's embarrassing, the way we're playing and how we look on the floor."
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CSN Chicago, FSN Indiana
ABOUT THE BULLS (3-2): Doug McDermott scored 23 points in the win over the Pacers and returned from a concussion to chip in six points in 26 minutes off the bench Friday night. Butler has scored at least 22 points in all but one game this season, that being the first meeting with Indiana (16). Wade is 10-of-19 from 3-point distance - 9-of-13 at home.
ABOUT THE PACERS (2-3): Among the early issues for a revamped roster is the play on the offensive end of new point guard Jeff Teague, who is shooting 24.6 from the floor while making 2-of-18 from 3-point range. The veteran, who missed all seven of his shots in 28 scoreless minutes versus the Bulls last weekend, shot a career-high 40 percent from beyond the arc last season with Atlanta. Despite Teague's struggles, the Pacers entered Friday ranked fourth in the NBA in 3-point shooting (39.3), as George and C.J. Miles have combined to hit 25-of-48 attempts.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Saturday begins a stretch in which the Bulls will play nine of 11 games on the road.
2. Pacers PF Thaddeus Young is shooting 58.7 percent and has made at least 50 percent of his shots in all five games.
3. Chicago entered Friday leading the league in rebounding differential (+14). Indiana was 25th (-5.0).