Connect with us

Indiana

DeMar DeRozan delivers OT magic for the Chicago Bulls in 132-129 victory over the Indiana Pacers — but Coby White’s injury looms over the win

Published

on

DeMar DeRozan delivers OT magic for the Chicago Bulls in 132-129 victory over the Indiana Pacers — but Coby White’s injury looms over the win


INDIANAPOLIS — DeMar DeRozan never practices missing shots. So it was a foreign feeling when he attempted to purposefully miss his second free throw with three seconds left and a two-point deficit on the scoreboard in Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Wednesday.

Alex Caruso gave some quick advice — get the ball up as high as possible, try to place it on one side of the rim or the other and hope for the best. DeRozan tossed the ball high and it ricocheted as if he’d been practicing the move his whole career.

DeRozan moves with an uncommon ease in these moments. So after a purposeful miss and a lucky bounce, he was primed to end the game as a hero once again. The Bulls drew up a play for DeRozan. He broke it almost immediately, stepping down the baseline to pirouette and launch the tying shot that ultimately sent the Bulls to their 10th overtime of the season.

And when he returned to the bench, DeRozan turned to guard Jevon Carter to issue a promise: “I’m gonna go crazy.”

Advertisement

DeRozan roped in nine points in overtime to close a 46-point performance, his highest-scoring night of the season and his fifth game with 45 or more points in his career as a Bull. Another clutch scoring night for the Bulls lifted them to a 132-129 win over the Indiana Pacers.

“Hall of Famer. One of the best scorers this game has ever seen,” Ayo Dosunmu said of DeRozan after the game. “He was locked in. I was very impressed with DeMar, just throughout the whole flow of the game, he was locked in no matter what. That’s very crucial for us, for him to be our leader, to always have that mindset and know that we have a chance to win no matter what.”

Despite the victory, the Bulls face a looming question after Wednesday’s win: the injury outlook for star guard Coby White, who exited the game after suffering a right hip injury in the final five seconds of regulation.

White was attempting to seal the win for the Bulls without the need for overtime, streaking up the court after grabbing a long-arcing rebound and leaping for a layup that would send the Bulls ahead by three points. But Pascal Siakam ran with him, swatting the shot away and landing on White in the process.

Upon landing, White’s left leg buckled up as his right leg splayed out at a 90-degree angle, twisting his hip outward. White immediately grabbed his thigh in pain but managed to walk to the locker room under his own power with a heavy limp.

Advertisement
Chicago Bulls guard Coby White grabs his leg after a collision during the second half in Indianapolis on Wednesday, March 13, 2024. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

Coach Billy Donovan confirmed after the game that White suffered a right hip injury. He will undergo scans when the team returns to Chicago. Donovan said the Bulls medical staff would be unable to assess the severity of that injury until they received those test results.

“We’ll have to keep our fingers crossed it’s nothing too serious,” Donovan said.

White declined to speak to the media after the game, but he was able to stand and walk around in the locker room while chatting and laughing with teammates during media availability.

The loss of White tested the Bulls in another clutch finish, which could have reduced the offense to solely rely on DeRozan to produce the majority of scoring in overtime. But even without their star guard, the Bulls had the advantage of experience.

The Pacers aren’t used to these moments. This was their first overtime game of the season. The Bulls, in comparison, have spent a league-leading 55 minutes in overtime — and 179 in the clutch — this season.

Advertisement

DeRozan opened overtime with his typical offensive focus, scoring the first eight points for the Bulls. But the Pacers began to trap in earnest, attempting to get the ball out of DeRozan’s hands well above the 3-point line. This simply opened up the rest of the Bulls offense.

After the Pacers sprung a trap with just under a minute left in overtime, DeRozan told Dosunmu to go to the rim. He followed instructions at full speed, snagged the ensuing pass and scored a quick finger-rolling layup. On the next play, the Bulls followed the same strategy but fed Torrey Craig instead.

Each time the Bulls broke this trapping strategy, it outlined an important blueprint for the Bulls in future clutch games.

“It’s like a survival mode that kicks in — in a fun way,” DeRozan said. “You embrace those moments. For me, I just thrive off the moments. I’m not scared to fail. I’m not scared to make something happen. I want those moments more than anything. It always reminds me of my childhood, being a kid, doing a little fake countdown, jumping on the bed, shooting the shot. As a competitor, those moments are always something I try to relish in.”



Source link

Advertisement

Indiana

Valparaiso 63-62 Indiana State (Mar 5, 2026) Game Recap – ESPN

Published

on

Valparaiso 63-62 Indiana State (Mar 5, 2026) Game Recap – ESPN


ST. LOUIS — — Rakim Chaney had 18 points in Valparaiso’s 63-62 win over Indiana State on Thursday in the first round of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.

Chaney added five rebounds, five assists, and three steals for the Beacons (18-14). JT Pettigrew added 14 points while going 5 of 8 and 3 of 6 from the free-throw line while they also had seven rebounds. Brody Whitaker finished with 10 points.

Camp Wagner led the Sycamores (11-21) in scoring, finishing with 13 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Indiana State also got 12 points and three blocks from Ian Scott. Enel St. Bernard finished with 10 points, six rebounds and four steals. The loss was the Sycamores’ seventh in a row.

Chaney scored nine points in the first half and Valparaiso went into halftime trailing 37-28. After trailing by nine points in the second half, Valparaiso went on a 7-0 run to narrow the score to 37-35 with 17:11 remaining in the half before finishing off the victory. Pettigrew scored 12 second-half points.

Advertisement

——

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.



Source link

Continue Reading

Indiana

Heavy rain soaks central Indiana, but drought relief uneven across the state

Published

on

Heavy rain soaks central Indiana, but drought relief uneven across the state


Central Indiana has seen a very wet start to March, with several rounds of rain and storms moving through the region over the past few days. In fact, the city of Indianapolis has already received more rain in the first four days of the month than it typically gets during the entire month of March.

So far this month, Indianapolis has recorded 3.90 inches of rainfall, which already exceeds the normal March monthly average of 3.79 inches. Much of that rain came during a widespread soaking on Tuesday, when a strong system pushed steady showers and thunderstorms across the state.

Some of the highest totals over the past three days have been recorded across central Indiana. Rain gauges show 5.86 inches in Marion County, 5.02 inches in Morgan County, 4.97 inches in Hancock County, 4.95 inches in Shelby County, 4.57 inches in Johnson County, and 4.26 inches in Hendricks County. These totals represent a significant amount of rainfall in a short period of time and have left many areas with saturated ground and standing water in low spots.

Despite the widespread rainfall, the impact on drought conditions has been somewhat uneven across the state. According to the latest drought monitor, the areas that received the heaviest rain over the past few days are largely the same areas that were already in relatively good shape in terms of moisture levels. Meanwhile, parts of northern Indiana that have been dealing with more persistent dryness have seen much lighter totals.

Cities such as Kokomo, Lafayette, and Muncie have generally picked up less rain compared to areas farther south. Forecast models suggest that pattern may continue over the next several days.

Advertisement

Additional rainfall is expected through Thursday, with another round possible around midday Saturday. Current projections show the best chance for another inch or more of rain focusing once again across the southern half of the state, while northern Indiana may see lower totals.

That means while the recent rain has certainly helped improve soil moisture in many areas, it may not fully address the lingering dryness farther north. For now, the pattern remains active, and Hoosiers should expect more wet weather before the system finally begins to move out later this weekend.



Source link

Continue Reading

Indiana

Watch Indiana basketball’s Lamar Wilkerson give his mom a Cadillac

Published

on

Watch Indiana basketball’s Lamar Wilkerson give his mom a Cadillac


Indiana basketball sharpshooter Lamar Wilkerson is known for his generosity.

Upon joining the Hoosiers, he gave a tidy sum of his NIL earnings to his previous program, Sam Houston State.

“I was blessed to be able go from that, from not having a lot, to being here, having a lot more than I even knew what to do with,” Wilkerson said at the time. “I just thought, I can give them this.”

Advertisement

He upped the ante on IU’s Senior Night, giving his mother a Cadillac after the Hoosiers throttled Minnesota.

You could imagine her reaction.

Want more Hoosiers coverage? Sign up for IndyStar’s Hoosiers newsletter. Listen to Mind Your Banners, our IU Athletics-centric podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the latest on IndyStar TV: Hoosiers.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending