The outcome — a 97-90 loss to the Chicago Bulls — was secondary for the Indiana Pacers.

Their preseason finale Friday night was about getting a better indication of where they stand for the start of the regular season next week.

Four weeks and seven preseason games later, the Pacers will head into Wednesday’s regular-season opener at Toronto with questions about their starting lineup and feeling good about their bench.

“We haven’t seen our starting lineup yet together, so it’s tough to really evaluate,” Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. “We have to get healthy. We have to get Danny (Granger) healthy and back to his rhythm and timing. It’s going to take some time.”

A thumb injury and hip pointer kept Hill on the sideline in the preseason. D.J. Augustin started in place of Hill and has had back-to-back games of at least 11 assists.

Still, he’s not George Hill.

“It’s not ideal, but it’s a long season,” Vogel said about Hill’s absence. “These guys have played together, they know each other and they should be able to pick up where they left off.”