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 The Pacers have been floored by their own injuries, starting with
the fractured tibia Paul George suffered in early August and
continuing when CJ Miles left in the first quarter of Friday’s loss
to the Nuggets with a sore right calf. Indiana was also without
David West (right ankle), George Hill (left knee) and C.J. Watson
(foot), who have yet to play this season. Bulls center Pau Gasol,
meanwhile, has continued his rebirth in Chicago, scoring in double
figures in every game this season, including six double-doubles,
while shooting 51.1 percent from the floor.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, WGN (Chicago), FS Indiana
 ABOUT THE PACERS (3-7): One of the few bright spots for Indiana has
been guard A.J. Price, who’s in his second stint with the Pacers
after he was drafted 52nd overall by the club in 2009 and spent his
first three seasons with the organization. Price watched the first
two games of this season from the Cleveland bench before he was
dealt to his former team, then went out and scored 22 points earlier
this week against the Jazz. He came back with a team-high 14 points
off the bench against Denver.
ABOUT THE BULLS (7-2): Jimmy Butler’s dream start to the season
continued with 21 points, six assists and nine rebounds in the
team's most recent win against the Raptors. The fourth-year shooting
guard is averaging a team-high 19.7 points - 10.5 points higher than
his career average. He’s been just as much a force on defense,
helping limit Toronto guard DeMar DeRozan to 10 points on 3-for-17
shooting.
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BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Pacers didn’t have seven losses last season until Jan. 8.
2. The Bulls have won their first five road games for the first time
since 1996-97.
3. Bulls G Mike Dunleavy, in his 13th season in the NBA, had his
best year when he was a member of the Pacers in 2007-08, averaging
19.1 points and shooting 42.4 percent from 3-point range while
playing all 82 games for the only time in his career.
PREDICTION: Pacers 94, Bulls 90
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