INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Pacers were facing a contract deadline on Tuesday with forward James Johnson. The veteran four man, who is in his 16th NBA season, entered the day on a partially guaranteed contract.

Johnson’s minimum deal this season had $750k guaranteed, though he has already surpassed that amount in late December in terms of accrued earnings. On January 10th, every contract in the NBA becomes guaranteed, so the full amount of Johnson’s deal would hit the books if he is still on Indiana’s roster on that date.

Technically, though, the contract guarantee date for Johnson came on Tuesday the 7th. That’s because a player has to clear the waiver process, which takes two days, by the 10th to have the non-guaranteed part of their salary removed from a team’s salary books. So if a player like Johnson — that had a contract which wasn’t fully guaranteed this season — wasn’t waived on/before Tuesday, then their contract would be fully guaranteed.

The Pacers kept Johnson through that date, meaning his $3.3 million salary is now guaranteed for the season, though Indiana is only responsible for just under $2.1 million of that. The rest is reimbursed by the NBA, so Indiana’s cap hit for Johnson for the remainder of the season is that $2.1 million number.

“He’s not going anywhere,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle told Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star this week when asked about Johnson. “We need him.”

Why did the Pacers keep James Johnson?

For the Pacers, the decision to keep Johnson or not was all about the balance of financial savings and leadership. The blue and gold are right up against the luxury tax — barely sitting under the tax threshold right now. Waiving Johnson on Tuesday would have saved the team $1.1 million and given them more distance below the tax line.

What Indiana had to determine is if there was a better use of that savings than having Johnson on the roster. He’s played in six games for the blue and gold this season, but his value comes almost entirely off the court, which has been made clear by the number of times the Pacers have re-signed Johnson.

He is one of the oldest players in the NBA and a key veteran for a growing Pacers team. His voice is well received, and he is one of the first players off the bench to offer encouragement or tips during in-game timeouts. His work behind the scenes is extremely important to the team, which is why he’s been around for three seasons.

As a result, Johnson was retained at the expense of some optionality. “He doesn’t let things slide,” Pacers guard T.J. McConnell said of Johnson a few years ago. “Usually, there are guys that let things go. But I feel like he feels like he owes it to us that we’re not going to create any bad habits here.”

Some flexibility could have been nice for the Pacers with the trade deadline approaching, but having more options only carries value if there are good options available. While a few more very specific trades could have opened up, they weren’t worth losing a valuable veteran.

Johnson, 37, has signed seven contracts with Indiana since September of 2022. He’s averaging 1.3 points per game this season, and guys love having him around. “He’s super valuable for the team. He’s kind of just like a glue guy,” Pacers rookie Johnny Furphy said of Johnson.

The Pacers opted for continuity in the offseason and kept Johnson. He’ll keep helping in his own way as Indiana looks to keep climbing the Eastern Conference standings.

“Those are my guys,” Johnson said of the Pacers after re-signing during the 2023-24 season. “I don’t think I would have went back [to the NBA] for any other call other than the Pacers.”

TL;DR: Live stream Chicago Bulls vs. Indiana Pacers in the NBA with FuboTV, Sling TV, or YouTube TV.

The Chicago Bulls head to the Gainbridge Fieldhouse to face the Indiana Pacers in an Eastern Conference matchup. The Bulls are 17-19, which puts them in 10th place. The Pacers are 19-18, which puts them in sixth place.

The Bulls have won three of their last five games, and are coming off a win over the New York Knicks. The Pacers have also won three of their last five games, and are coming off back-to-back wins over the Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat.

When is Chicago Bulls vs. Indiana Pacers?

Chicago Bulls vs. Indiana Pacers in the NBA starts at 7 p.m. ET on Jan. 8. This game takes place at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.

How to watch Chicago Bulls vs. Indiana Pacers

You need to choose a streaming service to watch the NBA without cable or satellite TV. We’ve found some of the best streaming services to consider for the Bulls vs. Pacers basketball game.

Best for single game: FuboTV

FuboTV offers you more than 250 channels of live TV and the option to watch on 10 screens at once. You can try FuboTV with a seven-day free trial period. 

FuboTV’s sports channel offerings include ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, FOX, FS1, FS2, Golf Network, Marquee Sports Network, Monumental Sports, NBC, NFL Network, and SEC Network. 

Most live sports: YouTube TV

YouTube TV’s base plan is $49.99 per month for two months for new subscribers ($72.99 per month regularly). The base plan includes over 100 live TV channels, including ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, ESPN, Fox Sports 1, and NBA TV.

Most affordable: Sling TV

Sling TV suggests the streamer’s Orange Plan for the game, which costs $20 for the first month and $40 monthly after that.

Sling TV’s sports channels feature ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNews, ESPNU, FOX, FS1, FS2, NBA TV, NBC, NFL Network, and SEC Network.

How to watch Bulls vs. Pacers from anywhere in the world

If you’re traveling outside of the U.S. during this game, you might need to use a VPN to unblock this live stream. VPNs can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server, meaning you can unblock live streams of the NBA from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Chicago Bulls vs. Indiana Pacers for free by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in the U.S.

4. Sign in to your favorite streaming app

5. Watch Chicago Bulls vs. Indiana Pacers from anywhere in the world

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to live streams of the NBA without actually spending anything. This obviously isn’t a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to live stream Chicago Bulls vs. Indiana Pacers before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for the NBA?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

Live stream Chicago Bulls vs. Indiana Pacers in the NBA with ExpressVPN.

WHITING, Ind. (CBS) — Neighbors living near the BP refinery in Whiting, Indiana called Tuesday night from more transparency from the oil giant.

They said a leak this past Christmas made some of them sick. While local officials assure the neighbors everything is safe, they also agree communication could be better.

A meeting between BP and residents was held Monday. CBS News Chicago was banned from the meeting.

But Whiting Mayor Steve Spebar was at the meeting, and said the leak started in what is known as the Indiana Tank Field—with a quarter-sized hole that went unnoticed until enough of the odor collected.

The smell was strong enough eventually to raise concerns when it carried to downtown Chicago. Addressing the Whiting City Council nearly two weeks after the leak, residents were still upset by the lack of communication.

“We are not being told accurate information, or any information at all,” one woman, Kim, told the council.

“I don’t know what to do other than to come here and beg you to do something about it,” resident Grace Tafolla said.

Mayor Spebar acknowledged BP told area leaders about the leak, but a message with that information never went out on their Smart 911 system.

“If the county does not declare it to be hazardous, that is the flaw right now—you don’t get notified,” Spebar said.

Carolyn Marsh, co-administrator for the BP and Whiting Watch Facebook group, was not satisfied with this explanation.

“They keep apologizing and they say that it is a work in progress—the notification system. Well, the plant has been there 135 years,” she said. “Sounds to me like you should be able to get a notification.

Some residents said they feel the number of issues at the BP plant is increasing—pointing to February 2024, when a power outage forced evacuate workers, flare the stacks, and burn off remaining fuel and relieve pressure.

CBS News Chicago found the BP Whiting facility had three complaints to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in 2024. Two have been closed, while one from October is still open.

But neighbors say the December leak affected their health.

“It made both of us physically ill,” said Alexis Spencer, who lives near the refinery. “Like we were over here, gagging, throwing up, all types of stuff.”

Spencer and her fiancé, Marvin Leavy, can see the refinery from her front door—for now.

“At the end of the day, you know, everybody’s got to live somewhere and stuff like that,” Leavy said, “so we’re just trying to make the best of it, you know what I’m saying, until I can go other-where.”

Residents at that meeting also said they are concerned about plans for a new pipeline project dubbed the “hydrogen hub.” But the mayor said he believes that project is held up and will not move forward this year.