Game Preview: Bulls v Pacers

The Chicago Bulls play host to the Indiana Pacers at United Center on Friday.
The Pacers (5-7) started off with a surprising 5-3 record, but have followed
that up with four=straight losses. What really makes that poor stretch bizarre
is the fact that Myles Turner returned just two games ago. He’s the undoubted
star of this team and it’s a wonder why they are struggling with him in the
lineup. One thing that is clear is the fact that Victor Oladipo and Darren
Collison have seen a dip in their numbers with Turner on the court, as they are
providing way less assists and more than 10 points fewer with him in the lineup.
That’s all about getting adjusted to one another and they’ll all even out sooner
rather than later. The Bulls (2-7) were expected to be one of the three-worst
teams this season and two wins in nine games shows just that. The struggles have
to be taken into consideration though, as Zach LaVine hasn’t even stepped on the
court for this team. He was the prized possession of the Jimmy Butler trade, as
Kris Dunn just appeared last week as the other key piece of that trade. Dunn has
played well in his first few games, as he’s vying for that starting point guard
role. Bobby Portis also made his season debut in the teams most recent loss, as
he amassed 21 points, 13 rebounds and four assists against the Toronto Raptors.
That’s a heck of a stat line and it shows just how talented this Arkansas
product can be. He does come with a bit of drama though, as he was suspended for
the first eight games due to a fight with Nikola Mirotic. Sources say that
Mirotic won’t play with Portis and it should make for great drama in Chicago in
the coming weeks. Indiana and Chicago split their season series last year, with
the home team prevailing in all four games.