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The Chicago Bulls will play host to the Indiana Pacers on Friday night at the United Center. This is a quick turnaround for the Bulls as they just played against the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night on the road. Traveling back home and immediately playing again might be tough, but Chicago is hoping to earn their third straight win nonetheless. It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a Pacers-Bulls prediction and pick.
This is the first time this season that the Bulls and the Pacers are getting together. Both teams are off to slow starts this year and a Friday night win would be big for both. This is expected to be a close game.
Like recent seasons, the Bulls didn't have very high expectations coming into this year. Chicago has been very mediocre for a good period of time now, and they aren't showing any signs of changing that this season. The Bulls are currently 10-13, and a lot of the fan base wants the team to tank in order to get a high draft pick. We'll see if that ends up being the case.
The Pacers made a run to the Eastern Conference Finals last year, and they played the Boston Celtics tougher than any other playoff team last year. However, their star, Tyrese Haliburton, has struggled to start the season, and the team is struggling overall. The Pacers are currently 9-14, and going on the road and getting a win against the Bulls won't be easy.
Here are the Pacers-Bulls NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Pacers-Bulls Odds
Indiana Pacers: -3 (-110)
Moneyline: -158
Chicago Bulls: +3 (-110)
Moneyline: +134
Over: 246.5 (-110)
Under: 246.5 (-110)
How To Watch Pacers vs. Bulls
Time: 8:00 ET/5:00 PT
TV: Chicago Sportsnet and FanDuel Sports Network
*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why the Pacers Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Pacers can win this game and cover the spread because of the issues that the Bulls have on defense. Yes, Chicago can score, but they allow a lot of points more consistently than they score a lot of points. Bulls head coach Billy Donovan has expressed his concerns with the defense before, and the issues are real. When this Pacers offense is clicking, they can put up a lot of points against teams that play good defense. Chicago doesn't play very good defense, and they will be on a back-to-back after traveling. That isn't a great recipe for the Bulls.
Why the Bulls Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Bulls can cover this spread and even win the game because they will be playing at home, and also because of their ability to put up a lot of points. This Chicago offense can get hot as they have scored at least 115 points in seven straight games. If they can just play decent defense, they can get it done in this one.
Final Pacers-Bulls Prediction & Pick
We're going to go with the Pacers to cover in this one. If the Bulls hadn't just played on Thursday night on the road in San Antonio, then the edge would probably go to them, but that is going to be a difficult turnaround. This Bulls team doesn't play good defense even when they are well-rested, so the normal struggles mixed with games on consecutive days points to a comfortable Pacers win. Chicago won't have enough energy to keep up and Indiana will win this one 131-111.
Final Pacers-Bulls Prediction & Pick: Pacers -3 (-110)
