Bulls edged by Grizzlies in tight finish, Central Division roundup

It was a relatively quiet night for the Central Division on the schedule, but the Chicago Bulls found themselves in a nail-biter, the Indiana Pacers got more good news on their star point guard, and the Cleveland Cavaliers kept tweaking their training camp roster.

Bulls slip to 1-1 after narrow loss to Memphis

In the only game involving a Central team, the Chicago Bulls dropped a tight 104-100 decision to the Memphis Grizzlies. The loss moves Chicago to 1-1 in the early Central Division standings. With that result, four of the five Central clubs have already picked up at least one win, keeping the pack tightly bunched.

Pacers encouraged by Haliburton–Zubac debut

According to Hoops Rumors, citing reporting from Chloe Peterson of The Indianapolis Star, the Indiana Pacers came away encouraged by the first game played together by star point guard Tyrese Haliburton and new starting center Ivica Zubac. Haliburton, who missed all of last season with a torn Achilles tendon, has returned to action and is already showing signs of building chemistry with Zubac. Indiana sits at 1-0 and will look to build on that early momentum.

Cavaliers add camp bodies as evaluation continues

Hoops Rumors also reports that the Cleveland Cavaliers have officially signed Jaxson Robinson and Noam Yaacov to training camp contracts, as first noted by Paul Garcia of Spot Up Shot. Since Cleveland’s roster was already full, someone had to be waived to open spots, but the report indicates that the identity of the player or players cut was not yet known. The Cavaliers, still seeking their first win at 0-1, continue to fine-tune the group around their established core.

Tight standings and off-court franchise values

Elsewhere in the division, the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers are out front at 1-0, while the Milwaukee Bucks join the Bulls at 1-1. Hoops Rumors further relays Sportico’s 2026 franchise valuations, which once again have the Golden State Warriors and New York Knicks at the top of the league. The Central’s clubs — the Bucks, Bulls, Cavaliers, Pistons and Pacers — are all part of that updated snapshot of the NBA’s financial landscape, a reminder that market value continues to evolve alongside on-court performance.