Pacers, Bulls showing progress in new year ahead of Central clash

As each team begins to find their form in the new year, Central Division rivals square off Wednesday in Indianapolis when the Indiana Pacers face the Chicago Bulls.

The Pacers have won three in a row since the calendar flipped to 2025 and the team holds a winning record for the first time since winning the season opener. Last time out, Indiana earned a 113-99 road victory over the Brooklyn Nets thanks to a balanced scoring effort. Tyrese Haliburton's 23 points followed by Bennedict Mathurin's 20 and Pascal Siakam's 19 helped guide the Pacers to their third straight double-digit win.

Mathurin, whose 16.7 points per game match a career-best, has recorded double-figure scoring in eight straight games. The third-year pro is shooting a career-high 46.6 percent from the field in 37 contests this season.

Along with Siakam's 19.6 points per game and Haliburton's 18.4, Mathurin has helped the Pacers break out of their lull following last season's Eastern Conference Finals run.

"This is a winning brand of basketball that (Bennedict) is playing now," Indiana head coach Rick Carlisle said. "He's learned some things; he's realized some things. He and I have spent a lot of time talking about it. If he's willing to run and take open shots, avoid the temptation to run into crowds, and play tough hard-nosed defense, that's a winning formula for a young player."

As for a Chicago team looking to return to the NBA playoffs for the first time in three years and earn its first postseason series win in a decade, confidence is building for the veteran-led squad.

The Bulls have won four of their last five games, including Monday's comeback home win over the San Antonio Spurs. Chicago played from behind the entire game, until Coby White's layup gave the Bulls a one-point lead with 47 seconds left. Chicago finished the game on an 11-0 run to post a 114-100 home victory.

Zach LaVine had 35 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in the win, but it was White who put the Bulls in position down the stretch to steal the game. After his go-ahead layup, the sixth-year guard helped ice the game with a dunk over 7-foot-3 reigning All-Defensive first-teamer Victor Wembanyama, not a feat many have accomplished.

"(Wembanyama) had eight blocks and I think three of them were on me," White said after the win. "So, I just kind of told myself the next time I was going to try and dunk it before he could get to the rim. I knew if I tried to lay it up or try a finger roll, he was going to block it."

White's heroics helped Chicago win its third straight at home and stay in the play-in tournament picture as the halfway point of the regular season nears.

LaVine paces the team with 23.1 points per game, while Nikola Vucevic adds 20.5 and White follows with 18.5.

The Bulls will look to avenge their 132-123 home loss to the Pacers on Dec. 6, in which Haliburton led six Pacers in double figures with 23 points. LaVine put up 32 points in that game.

--Field Level Media