Pacers beat Bulls 104-92 to run streak to four games
INDIANAPOLIS -- Paul George scored 33 points, C.J. Miles had 16 and the Indiana Pacers beat the Chicago Bulls 104-92 on Friday night.
The Pacers (10-5) have won a season-high four straight and 10 of 12 overall. Monta Ellis had 14 points, and George Hill finished with 10 assists.
Nikola Mirotic scored a season-high 25 points for Chicago (9-5), and Jimmy Butler added 16. The Bulls lost for only the second time in six games.
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Indiana controlled this one almost all night.
It broke out of a sluggish start with a 17-2 run that made it 19-9 midway through the first quarter, and it never trailed again.
Chicago used a 7-0 spurt to close to 66-62 in the third. But the Pacers finished the quarter on a 6-1 flurry, opened the fourth with back-to-back baskets and eventually pushed the lead to 16 late in the period.
Chicago tried everything it could to rally.
Butler and Derrick Rose, who were a combined 2 of 16 from the field through three quarters, finally started making shots in the fourth.
When the Pacers found answers for the Bulls' dynamic backcourt, Chicago started hacking Ian Mahinmi, who was making just 20.8 percent of his free throws.
The Bulls sent Mahinmi to the line on five consecutive possessions. The strategy backfired when Mahinmi made 7 of 10 foul shots. He finished with 15 points and nine rebounds.
3 FOR THE SHOW
Chicago came into the game with the league's fifth-best 3-point defense, and it held up against the league's best long-range shooting team. Just three days after Indiana made a franchise-record 19 3s, it was just 8 of 28 from long range on Friday. The Bulls, meanwhile, used the late flurry, spurred by Butler and Rose, to make 11 of 26 3-point attempts.
TIP-INS
Bulls: Butler and Rose were a combined 8 of 26 from the field. ... Joakim Noah came off the bench and was shut out in nearly 19 minutes of action. He was 0 for 2 from the field with five rebounds. ... Mike Dunleavy (back) and Aaron Brooks (hamstring) did not travel with the team. ... The season series is now even, with both teams winning on their home courts.
Pacers: George has scored 25 or more points in 11 consecutive games. ... Lavoy Allen had 12 points and 10 rebounds. ... After losing all three October games, the Pacers have gone 10-2 in November with only one game left this month. ... Indiana will begin a four-game western swing by wearing its Hickory uniforms Sunday night at the Los Angeles Lakers.
UP NEXT
Bulls: Host San Antonio on Monday night.
Pacers: Visit the Lakers on Sunday.
