The Chicago Bulls (32-19) visit Gainbridge Fieldhouse Friday to take on the Indiana Pacers (19-34). Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Bulls vs. Pacers odds and lines, and make our expert NBA picks, predictions and bets.
The Bulls are coming off a 127-120 overtime loss as 4.5-point underdogs at Toronto Thursday. They’ll wrap up this short two-game road trip in Indiana as road favorites, a situation where they’re 7-5-1 against the spread (ATS).
Overall, the Bulls are 29-21-1 ATS. They’ve covered 3 of their last 5 games, scoring 120 or more in 4 straight with the Over hitting in each. Chicago is 13-13 straight up on the road.
Indiana last played Wednesday, losing as a 3.5-point home favorite to lowly Orlando 119-118. The Pacers have generally played much better at home, posting a 13-14 record.
They topped 110 points in 5 of their last 6 games and covered 5 of their last 10 with a push. They are 25-25-3 ATS on the season.
Bulls at Pacers odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 2:06 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Bulls -135 (bet $135 to win $100) | Pacers +110 (bet $100 to win $110)
- Against the spread: Bulls -2.5 (-108) | Pacers +2.5 (-112)
- Over/Under (O/U): 230.5 (O: -108 | U: -112)
PLAY: Free, daily sports pick’em contests. Play now!
Bulls at Pacers key injuries
Bulls
- PG Lonzo Ball (knee) out
- SG Alex Caruso (wrist) out
- SG Zach LaVine (back) questionable
- PG Coby White (adductor strain) questionable
Pacers
- C Goga Bitadze (foot) questionable
- SF Oshae Brissett (ankle) questionable
- PG Malcolm Brogdon (Achilles) out
- PG T.J. McConnell (wrist) out
- PF Domantas Sabonis (health and safety protocols) out
- C Myles Turner (foot) out
Deposit $10 or more, get $100 in instant bet credits at Tipico Sportsbook! New customer offer in CO and NJ. 21+, see Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. Place your legal, online sports bets at Tipico. Let’s make this interesting. Bet now!
Bulls at Pacers odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Pacers 114, Bulls 112
Money line
SPRINKLE on the PACERS (+110).
The Pacers play much better at home, despite what a one-point loss to the Magic displays.
Indiana hasn’t played since Wednesday and has been at home, while Chicago will play its third game in four days. That’s going to wear down the Bulls’ energy.
While the Bulls are well over .500 on the season, they are just 5-4 with rest disadvantage.
Against the spread
BET PACERS +2.5 (-112).
Indiana is 6-4 as a home underdog this season and 18-16-1 ATS with one day of rest. Meanwhile, the Bulls are 5-4-1 ATS without rest.
While they’re going to be outmatched in terms of talent, the Pacers have players like small forwards Justin Holiday and Torrey Craig who can defend at a high level, potentially limiting a dangerous Bulls frontcourt.
The rest advantage should bode well for the Pacers, and with their home-court advantage, there’s no reason they shouldn’t be able to keep this game close.
Over/Under
LEAN to the UNDER 230.5 (-112).
The Bulls are going to eventually regress to their mean. They average 111.5 points on the season but have been on fire lately. They have a 122.1 offensive rating over their last 4 games.
While it’s easy to back them to continue this, on the road on the second night of a back-to-back having played a ton of basketball lately, along with the fact that this total is very high, I’d back the Under.
Indiana is 27-25-1 O/U this season, but it will be without Sabonis, the team’s leading scorer (19.1 points per game).
Bet legally online with a trusted partner: Tipico Sportsbook, Sportsbook Wire’s official sportsbook partner in CO, NJ and, soon, IA. Bet now!
If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW. Please gamble responsibly.
Follow @nathanbeighle_ on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
Additional NBA sports coverage:
HoopsHype | Celtics Wire | LeBron Wire | Lonzo Wire | Nets Wire | Rockets Wire | Sixers Wire | Thunder Wire | Warriors Wire | Rookie Wire | List Wire
Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA).
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1622]