, who were coming off a loss at Brooklyn on Friday.'' The message is loud and clear: we need to get to work,'' Indiana coach Nate McMillan said.'' We have a talented team,'' George said, ''but it's going to take us a couple games to get our chemistry. We'll get through our battle wounds early.'' The Bulls had a 24-20 lead at the end of the first quarter before breaking things open with a dominant second. They scored 38 points on 14-for-18 (77.8 percent) shooting in the quarter to race out to a 62-41 halftime lead. Indiana seemingly sleep-walked on defense throughout much of the second quarter - especially in transition where the Bulls had a 19-0 edge in fast-break points. McDermott had seven points in seven minutes, and five players scored at least five points. Rondo added six assists. Chicago maintained its intensity in the third quarter and stretched the lead to 92-67 entering the fourth. The Bulls lead by as many as 29 points in the final quarter (102-73) before Indiana made a futile run in garbage time to trim the deficit to 112-101 with two minutes to play. TIP-INSPacers: Aaron Brooks (sore right knee) and Rodney Stuckey (right hamstring) sat out with injuries. Stuckey is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Monday. Bulls: Wade said he's feeling fine but sat out Friday's practice after playing 32 minutes in the opener on Thursday. The 13-year veteran said he will take regular days off to stay healthy and fresh. ''Certain days (are) better to be mental days than physical days,'' he said. BENCH WOESThrough three games, the Pacers have been outscored by a total of 33 points in the second quarter. That's mainly an indictment of the reserves.'' Our bench's got to get some chemistry.'' McMillan said. ''We need to get that (second) team some time on the floor, and they just haven't had it.'' CUBS FEVERWith the Bulls idle Friday night, Wade attended Game 3 of the World Series at Wrigley Field.'' I noticed that everybody in my family that was at the game, everybody had on Cubs gear - and I know everybody's not a Cubs fan,'' he said. ''But it's just about being a part of the moment. It's a historic thing for the city of Chicago and a lot of people just want to say they've been to a World Series.'' UP NEXTPacers: Host Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday. Bulls: At Brooklyn on Monday.)
Time: 08:00 P.M. EST Venue: United Center CHICAGO -- Given the number of new faces on the roster, the Chicago Bulls are still feeling their way around the new season. The Bulls added veteran guards Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo along with center Robin Lopez in the offseason. More recently, guards Michael Carter-Williams and R. J. Hunter were also added to the mix, which coach Fred Hoiberg knows will require his team to be patient as it attempts to put the pieces in the right places." We're just trying to get our guys comfortable and continue to get them on the floor in spots where they're going to be during the games," Hoiberg told reporters at the Bulls' practice on Friday ahead of Saturday night's game at home against the Indiana Pacers." We'll continue to teach as we go along -- especially the new faces." Wade sparked the Bulls (1-0) in their opening-night win over the Boston Celtics with 22 points and connected on 4 of 6 from 3-point range. Hunter signed a one-year deal with the Bulls on Wednesday after being cut by the Celtics on Monday. Hunter joins a team that is already deep at guard. But he told reporters that he was taking being an NBA player for granted and that he felt "absolute blessed and fortunate" to find a new NBA home so quickly after being released. And although the opportunity to contribute might be limited because of the depth the Bulls have, Reynolds will take what he can get. On Friday, the Bulls also exercised their fourth-year contract option on forward Doug McDermott while picking up the third-year options on guard Jerian Grant and second-year forward Bobby Portis." Whatever I can do to help," Reynolds told reporters. "It's actually a really deep team and talented team so wherever I can find my niche and help the team, I think that's what I can do." While the Bulls look to jell, the Pacers (1-1) are attempting to discover how to maintain their intensity for 48 minutes. After scoring 130 points in its season opener, Indiana fizzled down the stretch in a 103-94 loss to Brooklyn on Friday night. The Pacers shot just 37.8 percent from the field and managed only 15 fourth-quarter points on 6-of-21 shooting. Coach Nate McMillen said the Pacers couldn't find a way to match the Nets' energy when it mattered most." Defensively, they really got out and got after us, denying and pressuring," McMillan said. "They played with a sense of urgency that we talked about we need every single night. I thought we had that in the first game. Tonight, we did not have that energy and I thought they played harder for 48 minutes." Pacers forward Paul George said he and his teammates might have not had the focus they needed to put together their second straight win to start the season." We knew coming in that (Brooklyn) doesn't necessarily got the names, but they play hard and they play together," George said after Friday night's loss. "We should be jacked up every night."
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