The Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers will face off in a Sunday matinee game in Indiana. Here are the latest odds and things to keep an eye on.
Both the Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers have had disappointing starts to the 2019-20 NBA season. For Chicago, it’s simply come down to their inability to close games. They’re 2-4 and three of their losses were at the hands of the Charlotte Hornets, New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers. What’s even worse is the Bulls squandered a double-digit lead in all three of those games.
The Pacers are in a different situation. They’re currently without their star, Victor Oladipo, as he recovers from a leg injury. Indiana just needs to keep its head above water as the team waits for the return of their star.
Injury concerns for Indiana
Chicago is relatively healthy right now. Indiana, on the other hand, is pretty dinged up. In addition to the Oladipo injury, the Pacers are also trying to get through injuries suffered by two of their other key players, Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner.
Turner is considered week-to-week and will not play against the Bulls. Sabonis is a game-time decision.
If the Pacers are left with Malcolm Brogdon and role players, there’s no reason why the Bulls shouldn’t dominate this game. They’ll enter with significantly more talent.
Bulls odds against Pacers
- Favorite: Pacers (-3.5)
- Over/under: 214
- Moneyline: -155 Pacers/+139 Bulls
The odds are courtesy of The Action Network and are current as of Saturday at 7 pm CT.
Can the Bulls overcome the odds?
Maybe this is blind optimism, but of course the Bulls can overcome the odds! The Pacers might be without three of their four best players and the Bulls are desperate to turn things around.
Indiana hasn’t impressed me so far in 2019-20 (to be fair, neither has Chicago), and afternoon games are always weird. The daily routines are thrown off when the games aren’t at night. Plus, with the injuries the Pacers are dealing with, the Bulls have better top talent and more depth on their roster.
Of course, you can never be too sure with this Bulls team. They’re painfully inconsistent.
Coby White needs to step up
Coby White has had a nice start to his rookie season. He’s more than passed the eye test. His numbers, however, are actually quite poor.
Through six games, White is averaging 12 points per game on rough .389/.281/.778 shooting splits. I’d like to see him get some more run with the first unit so he doesn’t have to be the primary scoring option while he’s on the floor. He’s an underrated passer and needs to be put in a playmaking role more often.
If Coby can turn things around and have a big game, the Bulls should be just fine. Indy’s bench isn’t exactly something to write home about.
This is the final game for the Bulls before their big matchup with LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. It’d be nice if they could head into that game with some positive momentum.