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Two Central Division teams square off in the Hoosier State as the Chicago Bulls take on the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday 12/4/18 at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Chicago is coming off a 105-121 loss in Houston while Indiana also enters this contest having lost their last game to the Sacramento Kings to the tune of 110-111.
Bulls Get Markkanen Back
After missing the team’s first 24 games of the 2018-19 regular season, the Chicago Bulls finally got second year man Lauri Markkanen back last December 1st. Markkanen had missed the start of the season after suffering an elbow injury in practice. Markkanen had an impressive rookie season last year for the Bulls, averaging 15.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game while being named to the All-Rookie First team at season’s end. But despite having Markkanen back, the Bulls lost to the Rockets last Saturday for their sixth straight loss.
The Bulls rank only 28th in the league in team scoring at 103.4 points per game. Chicago is also just ranked 24th in assists at 22.2 dimes per contest. On defense, the Bulls allow 113.0 points per game, good for 24th in the NBA while their rebounding average of 41.9 ranks just 26th in the entire league.
Chicago Bulls vs Indiana Pacers 12/4/18
Moneyline Odds: Bulls +310, Pacers -370
Odds from betonline.ag as of 12/3/18
Pacers Back At Home
After a four game road trip, the Pacers are surely glad to be home as they are coming off back to back losses to the Los Angeles Lakers and the Sacramento Kings. Despite losing their last two games, the Pacers are still at 13-10 owing to a strong start and are still just 2.5 games back of the Central Division leaders Milwaukee Bucks. But Indiana has their jobs cut for them as they are still without leading scorer Victor Oladipo who is out with a knee injury.
The Pacers rank 24th in the NBA in scoring at 106.2 points per game. They are however good at sharing the ball with their 24.5 assists per game average which is 10th best in the league. Indiana’s success this season can be best attributed to their defense which allows a league low 102.7 points per game. The Pacers are also averaging 42.2 rebounds per game, 25th in the entire league.
Who Wins?
The Bulls and Pacers have played a total of 185 all-time regular season games. Chicago leads the all-time series 97-88 but the Pacers have won five out of their last six meetings overall and the last four meetings in Indiana. They have already played once this season, last November 2nd with the Pacers winning 107-105 at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Both these teams enter this game on losing skids. The Bulls have lost their last five games while the Pacers are 2-3 in their last five games and have lost their last two. Injuries have been the main reason why these two teams are struggling right now. For Chicago, they’ve missed several key rotation players in the last month or so. The Pacers meanwhile are without their leading scorer Victor Oladipo.
But the Bulls got back second year man Lauri Markkanen last weekend. However, they are still without Bobby Portis, Kris Dunn and Denzel Valentine. Meanwhile, the Pacers are still without Oladipo for this game. Despite missing Oladipo, the Pacers have played and fought hard, mustering a 3-4 record without him. Chicago meanwhile has lost six in a row overall and has just fired head coach Fred Hoiberg.
Given Chicago’s injuries, having a new coach and Indiana playing at home where they are 6-4 this season, we’re going with the home team here. And yes, the Bulls are just 2-10 on the road this season so I guess that seals the deal.
We’re picking the Indiana Pacers to beat the Chicago Bulls on 12/4/18.
Other Bets To Make
The Bulls are 3-9 ATS in their last 12 games played and are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games played on the road. Indiana is 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games played and are 5-5 ATS in 10 home games played so far this season. Head to head, the Pacers are 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games against the Bulls and Indiana is also 8-2 ATS in their last 10 home games against Chicago.
Chicago Bulls vs Indiana Pacers 12/4/18
Spread Odds: Bulls +9 (-115) Pacers -9 (-105)
Odds from betonline.ag as of 12/3/18
Indiana is 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games played on two days rest and 4-1 ATS in their last five games played on a Tuesday. In contrast, Chicago is 0-4 ATS in their last four games while playing on two games rest and 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games against opponents with winning records. The Pacers may be inconsistent without ‘Dipo but the Bulls have been awful this season. The Indiana Pacers have the defense to stop the Bulls and cover this spread.
Prediction: Pacers -9
The total has gone under in 12 out of the last 17 games of Chicago and the total has gone under in 5 out of the Bulls’ last seven games played on the road. Meanwhile, the under is 13-10 in the Pacers’ 23 games played so far this season including 7-3 in their 10 home games played. Head to head, the total has gone under in 4 out of the last 5 meetings between these teams and the under has also hit in 9 out of their last 10 games played in Indiana.
Chicago Bulls vs Indiana Pacers 12/4/18
Over/Under Odds: Over 209.5 -110, Under 209.5 -110
Odds from betonline.ag as of 12/3/18
The under is 5-2 in the Bulls’ last seven games played on the road and the total has gone under in six out of the Pacers’ last eight home games. Chicago has Markkanen back but is still missing Portis, Dunn and Valentine who impact their ability to score. The Pacers also don’t have their leading scorer in Victor Oladipo plus Indiana has the #1 scoring defense in the NBA.
Prediction Under: 209.5
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