Chicago Bulls vs. Indiana Pacers: Betting odds and prediction
On the afternoon of Dec. 31, interim head coach Chris Fleming and the Chicago Bulls will round out this calendar year by taking on head coach Rick Carlisle and the division foe Indiana Pacers on the road. This will be the second time in the last week that the Bulls face the Pacers. The difference is that this meeting between these two teams is set to come on the road.
The Bulls are set to carry a five-game winning streak into the final outing of 2021 against the Pacers. They are sporting a record of 22-10 coming off an impressive offensive showing in a double-digit win over the Atlanta Hawks at home at the United Center on the night of Dec. 29.
Since the Christmas break, the Bulls have downed the Pacers once (back on Dec. 26) and the Hawks twice (on Dec. 27 and 29). Fleming was the interim head coach throughout those last three games with second-year head coach Billy Donovan in the league’s health and safety protocol.
Meanwhile, the Pacers come into this game sporting a record of 14-21 following their 116-108 loss on the road to the Charlotte Hornets back on Dec. 29. The Pacers have lost two games in a row and five of their last seven coming into this meeting with the Bulls on New Year’s Eve.
Here’s a look into the betting odds and game prediction as the Bulls take on the Pacers on the road at GainBridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Dec. 31 with tip-off time set for 2 p.m. CT.
Chicago Bulls vs. Indiana Pacers betting odds
According to WynnBet, the Bulls are a three-point favorite over the Pacers on the road in this game. And the over/under is set at 220.5 points.
The ESPN matchup predictor gives the Bulls a 52 percent chance to beat the Pacers.
Chicago Bulls vs. Indiana Pacers prediction
The last five meetings between the Bulls and Pacers (dating back to Dec. 26, 2020) weren’t all that close. Each of those five games was decided by a margin of no less than eight points. Granted, one of those five games was decided by an eight-point margin in an overtime win for the Bulls back on Feb. 15, by the final score of 120-112.
The Bulls are also 3-2 in their last five meetings with the Pacers. On Dec. 26, the Bulls downed the Pacers by an eight-point margin. And the Pacers dominated the Bulls in the first meeting between these two teams this season, by a margin of 32 points.
Moreover, this game is likely to be decided by which big three comes up bigger in the end. The Bulls really need a strong game out of the duo of star shooting guard/forward DeMar DeRozan and center Nikola Vucevic.
DeRozan continues to play well since he got out of the health and safety protocol a little more than one week ago. And Vucevic is playing his best basketball of the season of late. He was tremendous in helping to spark the Bulls’ five-game winning streak dating back to before the Christmas break.
If star shooting guard Zach LaVine, DeRozan, and Vucevic continue to perform at or near peak efficiency in this game, it will be extremely difficult for the Pacers’ big three of Domantas Sabonis, Myles Turner, and Caris LeVert to contend. But this big three for the Pacers gave the Bulls trouble once this season. That could happen again if the Bulls come out with the same energy in this game that they did in the first meeting with the Pacers this season.
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In theory, this game looks to be a very winnable one for the Bulls. But this does feel like a bit of a letdown waiting to happen. This is more of a personal hunch, but I got a similar feeling when the Bulls faced the Pacers in their 32-point loss.