National Basketball Association
Indiana 120, Chicago 104
When: 8:00 PM ET, Thursday, December 28, 2023
Where: United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Officials: #65 Nate Green, #36 Brent Barnaky, #46 Ben Taylor
Attendance: 21568

Myles Turner scored 24 points and Tyrese Haliburton delivered 21 points and 20 assists to lift the visiting Indiana Pacers to a 120-104 win against the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night.

Buddy Hield added 19 points for the Pacers, while Jalen Smith (15), Bennedict Mathurin (15), and Aaron Nesmith (12) rounded out a balanced attack that helped Indiana pull away down the stretch after squandering a big lead.

Indiana led by 25 points in the third quarter, surging ahead by that many when Turner's layup put the Pacers ahead 83-58 at the 6:43 mark.

Chicago responded by scoring 33 of the game's next 40 points. Coby White drilled a long trey from the top of the key to give the Bulls a 91-90 advantage with 8:18 to play, delivering his first make from long range after 16 straight misses over the past three games.

White made two free throws moments later, but a quick 12-0 run from the Pacers put the visitors back in control. Indiana has won three of five.

Patrick Williams led the Bulls with 22 points, while DeMar DeRozan (21), White (16), Alex Caruso (15) and Ayo Dosunmu (15) followed.

Obi Toppin grabbed 11 rebounds for Indiana. Chicago's Andre Drummond had 16 boards.

Caruso hit a jumper to draw the Bulls within 49-47 with 4:13 to go before halftime, but cold shooting doomed the Bulls for the rest of the quarter.

Indiana closed on a 14-5 run to take a 63-52 lead into intermission. Hield and Smith scored four points apiece during the spurt, while Haliburton continued to assert himself as a consistent distributor.

Haliburton, who has posted seven straight games with double-digit assists, had 11 helpers in the first half en route to a career high in assists. He had zero turnovers.

Smith (11 points) and Hield (10) scored in double figures in the first half as the Pacers shot 53.5 percent, including 11-for-23 from long range.

Chicago struggled to 42.6 percent shooting in the first half and was 4-for-13 from beyond the 3-point arc. Williams led all scorers with 14 points before the break. DeRozan was next on the Bulls with 10.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Indiana   Chicago
Myles Turner 24 Scoring Patrick Williams 22
Tyrese Haliburton 20 Assists DeMar DeRozan 5
Obi Toppin 12 Rebounds Andre Drummond 16
Myles Turner 7 Free Throws Made DeMar DeRozan 7
Tyrese Haliburton 2 Steals DeMar DeRozan 2
Myles Turner 3 Blocks Dalen Terry 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Indiana 120 50.6 19-42 15-22 30 47 9 6 14
Chicago 104 41.2 7-27 17-22 19 47 4 7 8
Upcoming Games
  • Chicago will play their next game at home against Philadelphia. The Bulls have a W/L % of .357 after a win and .474 after a loss.
  • Indiana will play their next game at home against New York. The Pacers have a W/L % of .467 after a win and .600 after a loss.