5 takeaways from Chicago Bulls’ 120-104 loss, including Dalen Terry’s comeback role and Coby White snapping his skid

Short-handed and fighting uphill against a higher-ranked opponent, the Chicago Bulls nearly landed yet another acrobatic feat Thursday as they erased a 25-point deficit to the Indiana Pacers.

The Bulls trailed by double-digits until the final 90 seconds of the third quarter. They took the lead for all of seven seconds in the fourth. But as the roster continues to struggle with the absences of Zach LaVine, Torrey Craig and Nikola Vučević, the Bulls didn’t have enough in the tank to complete the comeback.

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With a 120-104 loss to the Pacers, the Bulls are now 14-19 as they jockey to maintain their 10th spot in the Eastern Conference — and claw closer to .500.

Here are five takeaways from the loss.

1. Dalen Terry played a key role in the second-half run to erase a 25-point deficit.

Dalen Terry was at the heart of the comeback in the second half, scoring a tough layup through traffic to extend the offensive run to 10-0 and drawing a charge to erase a bad pass turnover on an ensuing play. With Terry on the court, the Bulls ripped off a 15-1 run to close the third quarter.

Terry finished with a +29 rating despite the Bulls losing by 16 points — the highest plus/minus rating on the team.

“Dalen’s competitive,” coach Billy Donovan said. “He wants to learn, he wants to get better and I give him credit for continuing to keep himself ready to play.”

2. Tyrese Haliburton notched a 20/20 night to lead the high-energy Pacers offense.

The Bulls could not slow Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, who notched 21 points and 20 assists to lead the Indiana offense in the win. Haliburton went 6-for-13 from behind the arc and had eight points and five assists in the fourth quarter to hold off the Bulls’ comeback.

Haliburton led the Pacers in their singular style of high-paced offense. Indiana finished with 31 fast break points and 20 points off turnovers, flying up the floor to pick apart the Bulls defense before it could get set up in the half court.

3. Patrick Williams led all scoring with continued consistency.

The consistent output of Patrick Williams has been a steadying force for the Bulls throughout recent absences.

Williams led the offense with 22 points and three assists, snagging a pair of steals as he continued to anchor key defensive possessions. He bounded after a rebounding 3-pointer to crush the ball back through the rim for a dunk, showcasing improved physicality in his fourth year with the Bulls.

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“I’m just playing basketball,” Williams said. “I’m pretty comfortable making the plays that I think I can make. It’s still early in the season. I think I can get a lot better and I think we can get a lot better.”

4. Bulls go small with Terry Taylor earning early rotations as the backup center.

While the Bulls await the return of Vučević, their main solution for rotations without Andre Drummond on the floor is to go small.

The Bulls did call up Adama Sanogo, the former NCAA tournament MVP out of Connecticut who has been making an impact for the Windy City Bulls in the G League. But Donovan has preferred to rotate in Terry Taylor — a 6-foot-4 backup forward — to fill in as an undersized five rather than relying on a rookie third-string center.

The result was mixed. The Bulls did find success in running smaller rotations with Williams and Terry on the court to pick up the pace and run with Indiana, which was key to their offensive improvements in the second half. But they also struggle to compete on the boards when they go small, allowing the Pacers to outscore them in second-chance points (12 to 11) despite doubling their offensive rebounds (13 to 6).

5. Coby White snaps his 3-point shooting skid.

Coby White finally snapped a 3-point shooting skid that had lasted 11 consecutive quarters when he sank a shot from deep behind the arc with 8:18 left on the clock. White had missed his previous 16 attempts across nearly three games, but he stepped back into the attempt with his signature confidence.

Still, the absence of White’s shooting — which was white hot during the team’s recent series of wins — affected the offense. Without White launching shots from behind the arc, the Bulls lost the most dangerous weapon in their long-range arsenal.

The Bulls went 7-for-27 from behind the arc in the loss. White went 2-for-6. Alex Caruso (3-for-7) and Patrick Williams (2-for-5) were the only other Bulls to score from 3.