Trade winds continue to swirl around the Chicago Bulls, whose roster includes seven potential free agents.
With the NBA’s Feb. 5 trade deadline fast approaching, the Bulls will turn their focus to the court when they face the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday in Indianapolis.
Indiana is beginning a four-game homestand following a 132-116 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Monday.
The Pacers have won each of the first two meetings against Chicago this season. Indiana won 103-101 at home on Nov. 29 before recording a 120-105 road victory on Dec. 5.
Chicago began a stretch of five games in seven days with Monday’s 129-118 home loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. That snapped the Bulls’ four-game winning streak.
Luka Doncic had 46 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds to lead the Lakers, who led by as many as 20 points and shot 56.1% from the field.
Coby White scored 23 points for Chicago, while Ayo Dosunmu added 20. The Bulls lost despite making 18 3-pointers and shooting 52.4% from the field.
“We tried a lot of different things, and it seemed like (Doncic) was a step ahead the whole night,” White said. “We did a lot of good things, shot the ball really well. It just so happened that they got a guy named Luka that had 46 points.”
Six players scored in double figures for the Bulls, who are among the teams expected to be the most active at the trade deadline.
Nikola Vucevic, Kevin Huerter, Zach Collins, Dosunmu and White have all been rumored to be on the move in recent weeks, but Vucevic is in no rush to shake up the current roster.
“I enjoy being around these guys. It’s a great group that really wants to be there for each other and play good ball,” Vucevic said. “I would like to see what we can do and where we can go this year, but the front office has to make decisions and we all understand that.”
The Bulls can improve their playoff chances with a win over Indiana, which fell to 11-36 with Monday’s loss to Atlanta.
Pascal Siakam scored 26 points to lead the Pacers, while Aaron Nesmith added 18 points. The Pacers led by 15 midway through the third quarter before the Hawks rallied for the win.
“We had a very poor ending to the third quarter,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “We didn’t play well. We made some poor decisions and missed shots. They were the opposite. They made the right plays, made good plays and put the ball in the basket.”
Atlanta went on a 17-0 run at one point and outscored Indiana 62-31 in the final 18 minutes of the contest.
“Good offense helps feed into good defense,” Carlisle said. “When you struggle on offense, it creates bigger problems defensively, and that was a lot of what happened in the third quarter.”
Pacers wing Bennedict Mathurin returned after missing 11 games with a right thumb injury and had 16 points and two rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench.
Carlisle continues to be pleased by the play of forward Jarace Walker, who has scored in double figures in seven of his last nine games. Walker had 12 points with three assists, seven rebounds and five steals in the loss to the Hawks.
