Chicago Bulls vs Indiana Pacers Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 28/12/2023, 05:48  by Joseph King | Modified on 28/12/2023 at 05:48 in NBA Predictions

An Eastern Conference clash in the NBA sees the resurgent 10th-placed Chicago Bulls hosting the faltering eighth-place Indiana Pacers. Chicago suffered a difficult start to the season but have been able to put together a consistent run of victories in recent weeks. A 118-113 home win over the Atlanta Hawks on Boxing Day marked the team’s fourth win from the last five games and brought their record to 14-18 on the season. This has the Bulls currently occupying the final play-in spot and trailing their opponents today by 2.5 games. The latest victory was particularly impressive given Chicago’s injury problems. They were without two of their ‘big three’ in Zach Lavine and Nikola Vucevic but received 25 points from DeMar DeRozan and a massive 24 point, 25 rebound game from Andre Drummond.

The Indiana Pacers have faded after their strong start to the season and run to the final of the NBA In-Season Tournament. The Pacers were at least able to get back to winning ways in their last outing, securing a 123-117 away win over the Houston Rockets. However, the victory is just the team’s second in the last eight games as they see their record plummet towards the .500 mark. Indiana now sits eighth in the standings with 15 wins and 14 defeats, putting them two games behind the sixth-place Cavs and a guaranteed spot in the postseason. While still being the highest-scoring team in the NBA at 125.8 points per game, the Pacers have seen that number drop in recent games. They’ve averaged just 112.0 in their last three which includes being held to a season-low 103 points against the Memphis Grizzlies.