Pacers, Collison halt Bulls' comeback bid

[December 05, 2018]  Darren Collison scored 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds, and the Indiana Pacers held on for a 96-90 win over the visiting Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night.

Myles Turner added 18 points and 11 rebounds to go along with five blocked shots. Bojan Bogdanovic (14 points) and Tyreke Evans (10) also scored in double digits for Indiana, which snapped a two-game losing streak.

Chicago lost its first game since dismissing head coach Fred Hoiberg and replacing him with Jim Boylen a day earlier. The Bulls have lost seven in a row and 11 of 12.

Lauri Markkanen led the Bulls with 21 points and 10 rebounds in his second game since returning from a sprained elbow. Wendell Carter Jr. also had a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds, and Justin Holiday scored 15 points as he replaced Jabari Parker in the starting lineup.

The Bulls trailed by eight points midway through the fourth quarter but closed the gap to 88-85 when reserve guard Cameron Payne hit a 3-pointer from the left corner with 1:38 remaining.

Turner responded with a jump shot on the next possession to increase the Pacers' edge to five. Collison padded the lead with four free throws in the final minute.

The Pacers held a 70-67 advantage after three quarters. Zach LaVine put Chicago on top 67-65 with a dunk off of a feed from Ryan Arcidiacono, but Indiana scored the final five points of the quarter.

Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) and Chicago Bulls forward Lauri Markkanen (24) fall out of bounds scrambling for a loose ball during the first quarter at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Chicago led 45-43 at halftime. Carter provided an early burst of energy for the Bulls with eight points and eight rebounds before the break.

The Bulls jumped to a 12-6 lead before Indiana responded with a 15-0 run over a 4:58 span. Turner scored eight points during the outburst, which also included a 3-pointer from Collison and a pair of baskets from Evans.

Boylen made his head coaching debut after spending the past three-plus seasons as the top assistant on Hoiberg's staff. He collected three NBA championship rings as an assistant, including two with the Houston Rockets (1994, 1995) and one with the San Antonio Spurs (2014).

--Field Level Media

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