Oladipo spurs late rally as Pacers run past Bulls 115-106 in overtime
INDIANAPOLIS — Victor Oladipo opened the night by smiling and waving to Pacers fans in his return from a lengthy absence due to injury. He finished it by walking off the court in tears.
The two-time All-Star capped his first contest in more than a year by making a game-tying 3-pointer with 10 seconds left, and the Indiana Pacers went on to beat Chicago Bulls 115-106 in overtime.
“I just shot it. Mamba mentality, man. Mamba mentality,” Oladipo said, his voice cracking. “That’s for Kobe [Bryant] and all the people that were on the helicopter.”
Oladipo returned for the first time since last January, when he left the court on a stretcher with a ruptured quad tendon in his right knee. He spent the next 12 months fighting his way through what he called excruciating pain.
Before the game, coach Nate McMillan said Oladipo would come off the bench, be limited to 24 minutes and not play in back-to-back games. That will remain the plan until after the All-Star break.
At times, Oladipo understandably looked rusty and out of sync. But when his team needed it most, the Pacers’ biggest star delivered on a night full of emotion.
As he sat on the scorer’s table with 4:12 left in the first quarter, following a video tribute that featured his long journey back, Bulls coach Jim Boylen walked over and shook Oladipo’s hand. When Oladipo entered the game, the roaring sellout crowd held up gold placards that read “Ready 4 Action.” Even Bulls players were applauding.