The Pacers come off an upset of the Miami Heat to close out March and are in danger of falling out of the NBA basement, entering even with the Washington Wizards in the \u201crace\u201d to finish with the NBA\u2019s worst record. Fortunately for Indiana, it lost the season series 3-1, so they would still finish at the bottom if the season ended today.<\/p>\n
Indiana hasn\u2019t won consecutive games since just before the All-Star break, winning in New York and Brooklyn on Feb. 10-11. The Pacers won\u2019t have guards Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell, but also won\u2019t have to deal with Josh Giddey (hamstring), who has been ruled out.<\/p>\n
\u00a0Defeating Miami 135-118 behind Pascal Siakam\u2019s 30 points and a 3-point barrage allowed the team’s fans to see Indiana win a home game for the first time since Jan. 31, and there are only three dates remaining at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.<\/p>\n
This is the beginning of a three-game road trip for the Pacers, who will play in Charlotte and Cleveland before returning home early next week. The Bulls are one of only two non-playoff teams they\u2019ll face the rest of the way, so a loss here would inch them closer to a last-place finish. Indiana is 2-18 since the All-Star break.<\/p>\n
The Pacers aim to end up with no worse than the No. 4 pick in June\u2019s draft by finishing with the NBA\u2019s worst record, which would mean they wouldn’t have to finish with a Top-3 pick in the lottery to keep their first-round selection in 2026. Indiana is in this position after trading for center Ivica Zubac from the L.A. Clippers in a trade for Bennedict Mathurin and a couple of picks just before the deadline.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One of those picks was a lottery selection in this draft that is unprotected if it falls between 5-9. That protection has been a huge factor ever since.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chicago has been eliminated from the playoff race too. The Bulls come in off a winless four-game road trip but upset Houston in their last game at United Center on March 23. They gave up an average of 135.5 points in setbacks at Philadelphia, Oklahoma City, Memphis and San Antonio. The Bulls went 5-9 in March.<\/p>\n
Indiana is 6-31 on the road and 3-10 against Central Division opposition. The Pacers are 13-33 against Eastern Conference foes. The Bulls are 18-20 at home, 4-11 vs. the Central and 17-29 against East opponents.<\/p>\n
Vitals – How to Watch Pacers at Bulls<\/p>\n
Game date, time and location: Wednesday, April 1, 8:10 p.m. EST, United Center, Chicago, Illinois<\/p>\n
TV: FanDuel Sports Network Indiana (Pacers), Chicago Sports Network\u00a0 (Bulls)<\/p>\n
Radio: 1070 The Fan (Pacers), WLS\/WSCR (Bulls)<\/p>\n
Pacers look for first post-All Star break win streak<\/p>\n
The Indiana Pacers (17-58) visit the Chicago Bulls (29-46) in the final meeting of the season between the teams.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Despite owning the fewest wins in the NBA, the Pacers are 3-0 against the Bulls and have won six of seven against Chicago. The teams last played on Jan. 28 in Indiana, where Siakam led six double-digit scorers with 20 points.<\/p>\n
Chicago won last season\u2019s final matchup at home to avoid being swept and are looking to avoid a seventh defeat in eight outings against the Pacers. Indiana is 21-10 over its last 31 against Chicago.<\/p>\n
The all-time series, which dates back to 1976, is tied at 107.\u00a0<\/p>\n