Pacers ride offense to season-series sweep of Bulls

Pascal Siakam scored 25 points and Ethan Thompson chipped in 24 to lead six players in double figures as the visiting Indiana Pacers rolled past the slumping Chicago Bulls 145-126 on Wednesday.

Indiana (18-58), which posted a season-high point total, swept the four-game season series with Chicago while winning consecutive road games for just the second time this season.

The Bulls (29-47) trailed by as many as 28 en route to losing their fifth straight.

The Pacers scored 32 points off 20 Bulls turnovers while collecting 49 assists, one shy of matching a franchise record.

Guerschon Yabusele scored 20 points for the Bulls. Collin Sexton scored 18 points and Matas Buzelis collected 17 points, nine rebounds and six assists.

Kobe Brown and Jay Huff both had 17 points for the Pacers.

Indiana established a season best for points in a first half, taking an 83-66 lead into the break behind a balanced attack led by Siakam (23 points) and Huff (14).

In addition to sizzling 61.1% shooting from the field in the opening half, the Pacers relied on sharp ball movement, assisting on 30 of their 33 made field goals before intermission.

Huff, who entered the night as the NBA's second-leading shot blocker, showed his offensive skillset in the early going, dishing three assists to go with a 5-for-6 effort from the floor that included four treys. His lone miss of the half -- on a second-quarter 3 -- still resulted in an assist as Brown corralled the ball and scored on a hook shot.

While Chicago yielded the second-most points in a first half in club history, its offense at least was more competitive than its defense. The Bulls shot 55.3% in the first 24 minutes as Buzelis led the way with 14 points and seven rebounds.

Bulls leading scorer Josh Giddey missed the game with left hamstring tightness.

Ben Sheppard (13 points) and Taelon Peter (10) also scored in double figures for Indiana. Kam Jones dished seven assists while Quenton Jackson and Brown had six apiece.

Tre Jones and Rob Dillingham both had 15 points for the Bulls while Isaac Okoro added 14.

Indiana has won four in a row against Chicago for the first time since a 10-game streak bridging the 2017-18 and 2020-21 seasons.