The Indiana Pacers will travel to take on the Chicago Bulls in a Wednesday night NBA matchup at the United Center in Chicago. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our NBA odds series, which includes a Pacers-Bulls prediction and pick, laid out below.
The Pacers have opened their season with a disappointing 1-3 record. Indiana has scored a ton of points, but the defense has struggled to keep points off the board with Myles Turner sidelined. The Pacers suffered through a brutal 25-57 record last season, finishing in 13th place in the Eastern Conference. Things do not look much better for this group in the 2022-23 season as this rebuild continues.
Chicago is 2-2 to open the season, bookending a two-game losing streak with wins. Chicago finished last season with an impressive 46-36 record, sixth place in the Eastern Conference, before losing to the Milwaukee Bucks in five games in the opening round of the playoffs.
Here are the Pacers-Bulls NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Odds: Pacers-Bulls Odds
Indiana Pacers: +7.5 (-108)
Chicago Bulls: -7.5 (-112)
Over: 234.5 (-110)
Under: 234.5 (-110)
Why The Pacers Could Cover The Spread
Tyrese Haliburton was brilliant in the opener, leading the team with 26 points and seven assists, shooting 55.6 percent from the field and adding four rebounds, and he has only continued that success in the next three games. Haliburton leads the team with 24.0 points, 9.8 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. Haliburton is also shooting an impressive 95.2 percent from the free-throw line and 43.5 percent from three-point range. Rookie Bennedict Mathurin is second in scoring, averaging 22.3 points per game and pulling down 5.8 rebounds per game. Mathurin has shot 42.9 percent from behind the arc. Jalen Smith leads the team with 8.8 rebounds per game, adding 13.5 points per game while playing about 20 minutes per night.
Indiana is shooting 43.9 percent from the field, 33.1 percent from 3-point range, and 78.9 percent from the free-throw line. The team ranks seventh in the league with 117.8 points per game, pulling down 47.5 rebounds per night to rank fifth. The defense has been a struggle, with opponents averaging 121.5 points.
Why The Bulls Could Cover The Spread
DeMar DeRozan is now in his second season with Chicago, which is great news for any fan of this club. DeRozan did not disappoint in his first season with the team, averaging 27.9 points per game last season. DeRozan has followed that up by leading the team with 26.8 points and 5.3 assists per game. DeRozan has shot 53.5 percent from the field. Zach LaVine has impressed in his return, averaging 21.0 points per game in his two appearances this season.
Nikola Vucevic leads the team with 13.0 rebounds per game, capping his double-double average with 18.3 points per game. Vucevic also leads the team with a 95.2 percent free-throwing shooting rate. Ayo Dosunmu went off against Boston, putting up 22 points on 90 percent shooting while pulling down six rebounds. On the season, Dosunmu ranks fourth with 12.8 points per game. Andre Drummond is averaging 8.5 rebounds per game, which ranks second on the team.
Chicago's offense has been lacking, ranking 23rd with 108.0 points per game. However, Chicago's defense has been solid, holding opponents to 110.0 points per game, which ranks twelfth in the league.
Final Pacers-Bulls Prediction & Pick
Indiana's offense is solid, but their inability to stop anyone will be the difference in this one, and will go a long way to pushing the total to over.
Final Pacers-Bulls Prediction & Pick: Chicago -7.5 (-112), over 234.5 (-110)
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