Bulls Lose To Pacers 107-105
CHICAGO (AP) — Victor Oladipo had 25 points and 14 rebounds, and Darren Collison made a tiebreaking jumper with 17.8 seconds left to help the Indiana Pacers top the Chicago Bulls 107-105 on Friday night.
Myles Turner added 18 points and Collison finished with 14 as Indiana earned its fifth consecutive road win for its longest such streak since April 2012. Turner also blocked six shots, including Antonio Blakeney's desperate jumper as the final seconds ticked off.
The Pacers appeared to be in solid shape with a 95-91 lead with 30.5 seconds left. But Blakeney converted a four-point play after he was fouled by Collison on a 3-point try from the top of the key.
Collison then made up for the mistake with a pullup jumper from the wing, putting Indiana back in front. The veteran guard was 6 for 15 from the field.
It was the second straight heartbreaking result for Chicago, which lost 108-107 to Denver in overtime on Wednesday night. The Bulls are winless on a four-game homestand heading into the finale Saturday night against Houston.
Blakeney led the Bulls with 22 points. Zach LaVine scored nine of his 20 points in the fourth quarter, and Justin Holiday had 19 points.
Indiana trailed by as many as 18 early in the second quarter, but Oladipo led the way as the Pacers rallied to a 60-58 halftime lead. Oladipo had 10 points, seven rebounds and two steals at the break, and Collison scored nine points in the first half.
THERE HE IS
Veteran center Robin Lopez checked in for the Bulls with 3:54 left in the first half for his first action since Oct. 22 at Dallas. Lopez was listed as a Did Not Play-Coach's Decision for Chicago's previous five games.
Lopez finished with two rebounds, two blocked shots and an assist in three minutes against Indiana.
TIP-INS
Pacers: Thaddeus Young finished with eight points and nine rebounds. ... The Pacers shot 47.1 percent (40 for 85) from the field.
Bulls: Another MRI on G Denzel Valentine's sprained left ankle showed significant improvement, according to coach Fred Hoiberg. "He really just did straight ahead running today and he did spot shooting," Hoiberg said. There is no timetable yet for his return. ... F Lauri Markkanen (right elbow sprain) is feeling better, Hoiberg said. "Still, I think yesterday was the five-week mark, so he's still a couple weeks away from being out there," he said.
UP NEXT
Pacers: Open a three-game homestand Saturday night against the Boston Celtics.
Bulls: Host the Houston Rockets on Saturday night. Chicago has dropped four in a row against Houston.
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