Pacers set season highs in points, assists in 145-126 win over Bulls

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Apr 1, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) brings the ball up court against Chicago Bulls forward Guerschon Yabusele (28) during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

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Best photos of Pacers vs. Bulls in an NBA basketball game

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Best photos of Pacers vs. Bulls in an NBA basketball game

Apr 1, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Quenton Jackson (29) goes to the basket against the Chicago Bulls during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

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Apr 1, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan directs his team against the Indiana Pacers during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

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Apr 1, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Indiana Pacers center Jay Huff (32) looks to pass the ball against the Chicago Bulls during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

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Best photos of Pacers vs. Bulls in an NBA basketball game

Apr 1, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Quenton Jackson (29) brings the ball up court against the Chicago Bulls during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

CHICAGO — All-Star forward Pascal Siakam scored 25 points to lead the Pacers to a 145-126 win over the Bulls on Wednesday at the United Center in Chicago as the Pacers set season highs for points in a game and a half, and posted the most assists (30) in a half of any NBA game in at least 30 years. Their 49 assists were the most this season and second-most in franchise history.

The Pacers improved to 18-58 so they no longer have the worst record in the NBA, though they are still in the bottom three. The Bulls fell to 29-47 and they are in 12th in the East.

Guard Ethan Thompson added 24 points and five assists for the Pacers. Forward Kobe Brown had 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists, and center Jay Huff also had 17 points. Guard Ben Sheppard had 13 points. Forward Jalen Slawson posted eight points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and three blocks. Center Guerschon Yabusele led the Bulls with 20 points.

Here are three observations.

Pacers set assists mark, season scoring high in first half

The Pacers entered Wednesday’s game missing four of their top scorers in terms of total points this season in point guards Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell, and forwards Aaron Nesmith and Jarace Walker. And, of course, with Tyrese Haliburton out for the season, that meant they were missing the top three point guards on their roster. Their starting lineup included a backcourt of Quenton Jackson and Ethan Thompson — one of who started the year on a two-way contract and the other of who is currently on a two-way deal.

And yet, the Pacers had their best half of the season en route to a blowout and it was driven by ball movement and guard play.

The Pacers scored 39 points in the first quarter on 17 of 28 shooting (60.7%) for 1.20 points per possession, then did even better in the second quarter with 44 points on 16 of 26 shooting including 8 of 15 from 3-point range for a remarkable 1.71 per possession. For the half, they set a season high with 83 points on 33 of 54 shooting (61.1%) including 12-of-28 3-point shooting and 5 of 5 free throw shooting for 1.43 per possession. They finished the half with 30 assists on 33 field goals, which is the most in the NBA in any half since at least 1996-97, which is as far back as play-by-play data goes. The Pacers have had only 25 games this season in which they finished with 30 assists or more in four quarters and prior to Wednesday, they didn’t have a game in which they posted more than 38 assists.

The Pacers finished with 49 assists on 58 field goals and shot 56.9% from the floor and 41.7% from 3-point range, hitting on 20 of 48 attempts. They posted an even 1.30 points per possession for the evening for one of their most efficient games of the season.

Ten of the 11 players the Pacers put on the floor recorded at least three assists. Seven of the 11 recorded at least five. Kam Jones’ seven led the team, forward Kobe Brown and Quenton Jackson had six each. Siakam, Thompson, Sheppard and Slawson had five each.

Pascal Siakam helps Pacers start strong

Though Nembhard, McConnell, Nesmith and Walker were out, the presence of All-Star forward Pascal Siakam was a sign that the Pacers hadn’t given away Wednesday’s game before it started. Even without most of his usual cohorts available, Siakam was dominant from the beginning.

Siakam scored 13 points on 6 of 9 shooting in the first quarter alone, then in the second quarter he scored another 10 on 4 of 6 shooting to put up 23 at the break on 10 of 15 shooting including 1 of 4 from 3-point range. He scored two more points early in the third quarter and didn’t have to check in in the fourth, finishing with 25 points in just 21 minutes and 33 seconds. He also registered four rebounds and five assists against zero turnovers, and the Pacers were +22 in his minutes.

Pacers guards step up in absence of Andrew Nembhard, T.J. McConnell

The Pacers had to dig deep in the backcourt with Nembhard and McConnell out, but they got big-time contributions from every player who got minutes in the guard spots.

Two-way contract guard Ethan Thompson, who spent four seasons in the G League and didn’t have an NBA game to his resume before the Pacers signed him to a two-way deal this season, started at shooting guard and scored 24 points on 8 of 15 shooting including 5 of 8 from 3-point range, with five assists against zero turnovers. Quenton Jackson, who was on a two-way deal until Feb. 28, scored eight points on 3 of 6 shooting and dished out six assists against one turnover. Rookie guard Kam Jones finished with nine points and seven assists, third-year veteran Ben Sheppard had one of his strongest performances of the season with 13 points and five assists, and rookie guard Taelon Peter had 10 points.

Dustin Dopirak covers the Pacers all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Pacers Insider newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pacers vs Bulls: Indiana’s offense continues to dominate

Pacers set season highs in points, assists in 145-126 win over Bulls

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