The Indiana Pacers (1-0) square off in a Central Division game against the Chicago Bulls (0-1) Saturday in the United Center at 8 p.m. ET. Below, we analyze the Pacers-Bulls NBA betting odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
Pacers at Bulls: Betting odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 4:10 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Pacers -200 (bet $200 to win $100) | Bulls +170 (bet $100 to win $170)
- Against the spread/ATS: Pacers -4.5 (-120) | Bulls +4.5 (+100)
- Over/Under: 222.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
Pacers at Bulls: Key Injuries
Pacers
- SG Jeremy Lamb (knee) out
Bulls
- PF Thaddeus Young (lower leg) out
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Pacers at Bulls: Odds, betting lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Pacers 118, Bulls 109
Money line (ML)
PASS because the Pacers are the right side, but betting big favorites straight-up in NBA regular-season games is a bad strategy.
Against the spread (ATS)
Indiana’s new up-tempo style, which includes chucking more 3’s, being implemented by first-year head coach Nate Bjorkgren looked great in the first game against the New York Knicks. The Pacers stormed back from a halftime deficit with a 60-41 second-half performance in a 121-107 win vs. the Knicks as 7.5-point home favorites.
The Bulls were blown out in their season opener at home vs. the Atlanta Hawks 124-104. Chicago was 41.4% from the field and 22.9% from behind the arc, while allowing the Hawks to hit 40% of their 3’s.
Bjorkgren has the Pacers taking more 3’s than previous seasons and we saw the Bulls get crushed in 3’s by the Knicks. However, Chicago was above-average in opponent’s 3-point percentage and defensive efficiency last season. The Bulls have a new coach of their own—Billy Donovan—and, while they have the pieces to play good defense, they are figuring out a new system as well.
Another thing that I’m considering early on is the edge teams who played in the bubble over the ones that didn’t, which is something NBA analysts have discussed during broadcasts. This Bulls team hasn’t seen NBA action since March and the Pacers played in the Eastern Conference playoffs in August.
Indiana has played remarkably well as a road favorite since 2018 and has a 17-13-2 ATS record in that situation. Indiana has won and covered in five straight games vs. the Bulls.
With all the lopsided results in the first three days of the NBA season, I am comfortable betting PACERS -4.5 (-120) for just a half-unit.
Over/Under (O/U)
Chicago has been a bottom-5 in offensive efficiency since 2017 and Indiana was known for a slower pace, but these head-to-head meetings have gone Over the past three times.
In the previous 10 Pacers-Bulls games, the highest projected total was 218 for their March 2019 meeting. This total sits at 222.5 with juice on the Over. The reason for the juice is because the market sees value on the Over.
Let’s follow the market and bet OVER 222.5 (-115) for 1.5 units.
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Also see:
- Bell Ringer Podcast: Philadelphia 76ers 2020-21 season preview, predictions (Sixers Hype)
- NBA predictions: Eastern Conference rankings for 2020-21 (Hoops Hype)
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