CHICAGO – Early on, it looked like there would be a chance for the Bulls and the Blackhawks to get a victory on Tuesday night.
But things didn’t go well for either team in the end and it led to a pair of defeats.
Illinois men’s basketball was able to bounce back while DePaul took a difficult loss on the road. Plus a White Sox pitcher remains under investigation for domestic violence by Major League Baseball.
Those stories are part of WGN Sports Morning on January 25, 2023.
Faltering late in Indianapolis
For a majority of the night, it looked like the Bulls were headed to a fourth-straight victory as they faced the Pacers to finish a back-to-back.
They led by 16 at the break, but slowly the hosts cut into the lead through the second half and into the fourth quarter, and Indiana got the finish just right.
Bennedict Mathurin had the finishing touch for the Pacers as he got them the lead with a three-pointer with 1:01 to go. After Nikola Vucevic tied it with a dunk, Mathurin responded with another hoop to put Indiana up for good in a 116-110 win that snapped the Bulls’ three-game winning streak.
DeMar DeRozan did what he can to help, scoring a game-high 33 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter. But Zach LaVine was held scoreless in the final 12 minutes as the Pacers outscored the Bulls 36-23 in the fourth.
Now at 22-25 on the year, the Bulls are back on the floor Wednesday in Charlotte as they face the Hornets at 6:30 p.m. central time.
A good start isn’t enough for the Blackhawks
Through the first half of the game, the Blackhawks had a good start to their three-game road trip across Western Canada.
Sam Lafferty’s seventh goal of the year in the second period gave the team a 2-1 lead over the Canucks late Tuesday night, but it was all downhill from there till the end of the game.
Holding a decided advantage in chances on goal all night, Vancouver tied the game later in the second period and then got three goals in the third to pull away for the 5-2 victory.
The Canucks outshot the Blackhawks 48-14 on the night with Andrei Kuzmenko netting a pair of goals for the hosts.
Now at 14-28-4, sitting second-to-last in the NHL, the Blackhawks continue their road trip on Thursday as they face the Flames in Calgary.
Illinois rebounds while DePaul has a letdown
After a forgettable performance against Indiana last Thursday, Illinois was much better this time at the State Farm Center thanks to a balanced effort on Tuesday night.
With four of their five starters in double-figures and the team hitting 16-of-18 free throws, which was a problem against the Hoosiers, the Illini bested Ohio State 69-60 in Champaign.
Terrence Shannon Jr. led the way for Illinois with 20 points as they improve to 5-4 in the Big Ten this season and 14-6 overall.
Meanwhile, DePaul took a second-straight loss in the Big East as they were on the wrong end of a streak-breaking victory.
Georgetown’s 81-76 win ended their 29-game Big East losing streak that dated back to March 2021. It also ended the Hoyas’ ten-game losing skid this season. DePaul falls to 2-7 in the Big East and 9-12 overall.
UIC also lost to Missouri State on the road 63-59 to fall to 2-8 in the Missouri Valley Conference.
(Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Clevinger under investigation
New White Sox pitcher Mike Clevinger is under investigation by Major League Baseball for allegations of domestic violence against the mother of his child, Olivia Finestead.
First reported by The Athletic, Finestead claims the pitcher struck her on two occasions in 2022 while a member of the Padres while also allegedly throwing chewing tobacco on their daughter.
You can read a statement released by the White Sox and Padres along with up-to-date information on the investigation by clicking here.