CHICAGO _ One game after coach Jim Boylen issued a challenge to his players to improved their toughness, the Bulls responded with fight down the stretch on Friday night against the Pacers.
They cut a 23-point deficit to single digits in the final minute of the fourth quarter, but their efforts ultimately fell short in a 108-102 loss to the Pacers.
The loss was the Bulls' ninth consecutive in the series; they have not beaten the Pacers since Dec. 29, 2017. Pacers big man Domantas Sabonis had his way inside with 24 points and 10 rebounds.
The Bulls received an unlikely scoring boost from Shaquille Harrison. The guard scored a career-high 25 points and made 5 of 6 3-point attempts. He came into the game as a career 27.7% 3-point shooter.
Harrison's performance, along with a team-high 26 points from Coby White, helped make up for a quiet night from some of the key Bulls players returning from injury, including Lauri Markkanen (three points in 22 minutes), Otto Porter Jr. (eight points in 19 minutes) and Wendell Carter Jr. (six points in 25 minutes).
