It felt like the Bulls had been playing with fire lately, winning close games while not playing a particularly inspiring brand of basketball. It caught up with them on Friday. The Pacers took control in the first quarter and never surrendered the lead, as Indiana defended its home court to beat the Bulls 104-92.
The Bulls' inability to keep the Pacers out of transition proved to be the story of the game. Indiana used its small ball lineup to score 42 fast break points, as opposed to 28 points in transition for the Bulls. Paul George continued his stellar play, finishing with 33 points and eight rebounds on 11-of-24 shooting from the field.