Behind a monster performance from center Nikola Vucevic and strong contributions up and down the roster, the Chicago Bulls cruised past the Indiana Pacers for a 113-97 victory Tuesday night in Indianapolis.
Vucevic put up his most dominant performance since joining the Bulls with 32 points and 17 rebounds. Zach LaVine had an off shooting night (6 of 18) but added 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
Thad Young (14 points, seven rebounds and five assists) put up his usual strong showing to go with strong contributions off the bench from Lauri Markkanen (15 points, six rebounds) and Coby White (13 points, six assists).
It was a recipe for success for the Bulls, who picked up their second consecutive victory and look like they are growing more comfortable playing together after shaking up the roster at the trade deadline.
The Bulls are entering a crucial stretch over the next two weeks with games against the Pacers, Toronto Raptors and Atlanta Hawks, all of whom are competing for playoff seeding in the Eastern Conference.
Coming off one of the most difficult portions of their schedule, the Bulls were able to take advantage of the short-handed Pacers to pull within one game of the No. 9 seed.
