NBA: Pacers take control early, then finish off Bulls

Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) shoots the ball while Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine (8) defends in the second half of an NBA game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Pascal Siakam scored 26 points as the Indiana Pacers beat the Chicago Bulls 129-113 in Indianapolis in the NBA on Wednesday.

Thomas Bryant added 22 points and eight rebounds, while Tyrese Haliburton collected 16 points and 13 assists as the Pacers won their fourth straight game. Andrew Nembhard had 14 points, and Obi Toppin and Jarace Walker chipped in 12 apiece.

Zach LaVine led Chicago with 31 points, Coby White had 19, Jalen Smith scored 13 with seven rebounds and Nikola Vucevic had 10 points and seven boards. The Bulls had their two-game winning streak snapped.

READ: NBA: Pacers reach .500 mark with rout of Suns

Leading by 19 at halftime, Indiana grew its lead to 70-48 after Bryant accounted for the Pacers’ first seven points of the third quarter. Siakam followed with a 3-pointer, and then baskets by Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin extended Indiana’s lead to 29.

20th game with 20+ points for Pascal Siakam this season 🤩

vote to make him an #NBAAllStar: https://t.co/T6jmxAXvtp pic.twitter.com/Ah4HKXWEIq

— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) January 9, 2025

The Pacers took their largest lead of the game after Toppin’s back-to-back layups and Haliburton’s basket gave Indiana an 87-54 advantage with 4:18 left in the third.

Walker’s jumper put the Pacers ahead 100-68 before Chicago scored the final eight points of the third.

READ: NBA: Tyrese Haliburton dominates Heat again in Pacers’ victory

The Bulls continued to cut into their deficit with a 19-9 start to the fourth quarter, stamped by White’s triple at the 8:07 mark.

Leading by 14, the Pacers pulled away as Nembhard accounted for five of Indiana’s 7-0 spurt to ice the game.

Earlier, White’s layup trimmed Chicago’s deficit to three with 1:55 left in the first quarter. But Ben Sheppard’s ensuing basket began an 8-0 Indiana run to finish the quarter, giving the Pacers a 29-18 advantage.

Indiana scored the first seven points of the second quarter, as Siakam’s layup extended the Pacers’ lead to 36-18 at the 10:23 mark. Smith’s dunk and Lonzo Ball’s 3-pointer stopped the bleeding for Chicago, but Indiana answered with another 7-0 run, giving the Pacers their first 20-point lead at 43-23.

Indiana took its largest lead of the first half after Toppin’s triple and Bryant’s dunk pushed the Pacers’ advantage to 60-37 with 1:54 remaining.

Josh Giddey’s layup with six seconds left cut Chicago’s deficit to 63-44 at the break. Siakam’s 16 points led all scorers in the first half, while Vucevic paced Chicago with 10. –Field Level Media