Pacers comeback falls just short
By TYLER SMITH
ISL Editor
INDIANAPOLIS — The Pacers have made a habit of coming back from large deficits this season. Unfortunately, they have still fallen short in many of those games. That was the case once again tonight, and this one probably stung the most. After going on a 21-2 run in the 4th quarter, the Pacers still fell short to the Chicago Bulls, 92-90 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
The Bulls took a 47-35 lead into halftime, and then opened their lead to as many as 21 points in the 3rd quarter. It looked to be an easy win for the surging Bulls. They led 81-65 heading into the 4th quarter before the huge Pacers comeback attempt started.
The Bulls missed 17 consecutive shots in the final frame, and Indiana even took the lead with 6:15 to play. A few key turnovers late, and a big shot by Jimmy Butler was enough to get the job done for Chicago.
It was the Pacers bench, not the starters, that made the huge run. Chris Copeland led the charge with 13 points in the 4th quarter alone. He finished the game with 17 on 7-of-10 shooting. The unit that brought the Pacers back consisted of Copeland, Allen, Scola, Miles, and Watson.
“Really proud of the group that got us back in the game” Coach Vogel said after the loss. When asked if he considered putting any starters back in late, Vogel added: “That group deserved to win or lose that ballgame.”
The Pacers had one final chance with 0.5 seconds remaining on the clock. They could’ve easily had more time to work with, but the officials didn’t grant the Pacers a timeout until more time had passed. David West was not pleased with how things went down on that play: “Everybody was calling timeout. Everybody.” As a result, C.J. Watson took a rushed corner three that missed to end the game.
“We were fighting. We made a nice run,” Chris Copeland said. “It just wasn’t enough to finish in the end.”
Jimmy Butler led the way for the Bulls with 27 points, including the game’s biggest shot with 42.3 seconds remaining. Derrick Rose was held to just 5-for-20 from the field on the night. As a team, the Bulls only made 34.5% of their attempts. One key stat in the game, however, was the difference at the foul line. The Bulls were 29-of-33 from the line, while the Pacers were just 13-of-21.
In a season full of good efforts, the Pacers continue searching for more than just moral victories. They will have a chance to get this bad taste out of their mouth when the Miami Heat come to town on Wednesday.
Follow Tyler on Twitter: @TylerSmith_ISL