The Chicago Bulls visit the Indiana Pacers in an important matchup on Tuesday evening. The Bulls and Pacers are jockeying for position in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, with each game taking on a greater meaning. Chicago is 20-28 this season, with Indiana entering at 22-26 in 2020-21. Domantas Sabonis (ankle), Malcolm Brogdon (hip) and Jeremy Lamb (toe) are listed as questionable for the Pacers, with Garrett Temple (hamstring) and Daniel Theis (not with team) ruled out for Chicago.
Tip-off is at 7 p.m. ET in Indianapolis. William Hill Sportsbook lists Indiana as a 1.5-point home favorite, holding steady from the opener, while the over-under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 224.5 in the latest Bulls vs. Pacers odds. Before making any Pacers vs. Bulls picks, be sure to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s proven computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times, and it has returned almost $8,900 in profit on its top-rated NBA picks over the past two-plus seasons. The model is up almost $900 on its top-rated picks this season, and dating back to last year, it entered Week 16 of the 2020-21 NBA schedule on a stunning 93-59 roll on top-rated NBA picks against the spread. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Pacers vs. Bulls. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Now, here are several NBA odds and betting trends for Bulls vs. Pacers:
- Bulls vs. Pacers spread: Pacers -1.5
- Bulls vs. Pacers over-under: 224.5 points
- CHI: The Bulls are 5-5 against the spread in the last 10 games
- IND: The Pacers are 4-6 against the spread in the last 10 games
Featured Game | Indiana Pacers vs. Chicago Bulls
Why the Bulls can cover
Chicago is led by a potent offensive duo in Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic. LaVine has been a breakout player in 2020-21, averaging 27.4 points per game, and his improvement coincides with an uptick in efficiency. LaVine is converting 52.1 percent of his shots for the season, including 41.1 percent from 3-point range, and he is one of the Eastern Conference’s top scorers. Vucevic is averaging 20.8 points and 9.8 rebounds per game since joining the Bulls in a mid-season trade, and he is a dynamic piece that can space the floor as a shooter and attack the rim in the post.
Chicago can also focus on exploiting Indiana’s weaknesses. On offense, the Pacers are a bottom-10 team in both offensive rebounding and free throw creation. On the opposite side, Indiana is the third-worst defensive rebounding team in the NBA, grabbing only 71.3 percent of available rebounds, and the Pacers are just 23rd in the league in preventing free throw attempts for their opponents.
Why the Pacers can cover
Indiana has notable strengths on both offense and defense. The Pacers are an above-average shooting team, posting an effective field goal shooting mark of 54.1 percent, and the Pacers generate 26.9 assists per game, ranking in the top five of the sport. Indiana is also above-average in avoiding turnovers, and they are No. 6 in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.93). The Bulls rank 24th in the NBA in defensive rating, giving up more than 1.12 points per possession, and the Pacers should find offensive success.
Defensively, the Pacers are above-average overall, yielding only 1.11 points per possession to their opponents. They are a top-five in turnover creation rate (15.1 percent), with top-four marks in steals (8.6 per game) and blocks (6.1 per game) for the season. Chicago is one of the league’s worst teams at taking care of the ball, committing a turnover on 15.3 percent of offensive possessions, and the Bulls are also the second-worst squad in the NBA in creating free throw attempts.
How to make Pacers vs. Bulls picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning under on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 224 points. The model also says one side of the spread hits well over 60 percent of the time. You can get that pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Pacers vs. Bulls? And which side of the spread hits well over 60 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that on a roll on NBA picks.