The opening week of the 2020-21 NBA season brings plenty of action Saturday night, so I’m taking a closer look at the Central Division showdown in Chicago, as the Bulls welcome the Indiana Pacers with the tip-off at 8:00 PM ET.
The Pacers have owned the Bulls over the last few years and will look for their 10th straight victory over Chicago. They opened the season on the right foot, while the Bulls were humiliated by the Hawks on the home court.
Indiana outlasted New York thanks to 33 points in the fourth quarter
The Indiana Pacers opened with a 121-107 victory to the New York Knicks this past Wednesday, satisfying the odds as 7.5-point home favorites, but it wasn’t as easy as the final score suggests. The Knicks kept it close for most of the game, but the Pacers shot 55.0% from the field in the fourth quarter to outscore their rivals 33-25.
Indiana struggled from behind the arc, making just eight triples out of 34 attempts. Still, they won the battle on the glass (50-40), posting ten offensive rebounds, while the Pacers scored a whopping 30 fast break points and 68 points in the paint.
Domantas Sabonis had a big game against the Knicks, accounting for 32 points, 13 rebounds, and five assists. Victor Oladipo had 22 points in just 28 minutes on the floor, while Malcolm Brogdon added 21 points and eight assists.
Chicago fell apart in its first outing of the season
The Chicago Bulls put on a terrible performance in their opening clash of the 2020-21 NBA season, suffering a 124-104 defeat to the Atlanta Hawks as 2-point home underdogs. They allowed 83 first-half points which tell you enough how badly the Bulls played last Wednesday.
The Bulls trailed by as many as 40 points. They shot 41.4% from the field and only 22.9% from beyond the 3-point line. Zach LaVine finished the game with 22 points and one assist; Coby White had nine points on 2-for-11 shooting, while Lauri Markkanen stepped up with 21 points, seven boards, and four assists.
Chicago has dropped 14 of its last 17 games overall. Last season, the Bulls had the 12th-best defensive rating in the league, allowing 109.8 points per 100 possessions, but their offensive rating of 106.7 points was the fourth-worst in the NBA.
[metabet_core_odds_compare query=”nba/bulls” size=”300×250″ site_id=”atsio” css=”float:right; margin-left:10px”]Trends:
Indiana:
- 13-6-1 ATS in the last 20 regular-season games on the road
- 5-0 ATS in the last five games against Chicago
Chicago:
- 6-11-1 ATS in the last 18 games overall
- 3-9 ATS in the last 12 home games against Central Division
The Winner Prediction
I expect to see a much better performance by the Bulls in this one, but betting on the Pacers to win and cover a 3.5-point spread on BetAmerica Sportsbook seems like a sure shot. The hosts should be fired to prove their worth after a catastrophe in the opener, so they’ll probably keep it close on the home court.
Still, the Pacers are healthy and look ready to rumble. They played solid D against the Knicks, and I’m looking for more of the same when they visit Chicago. The Pacers are 5-0 straight up and ATS in their last five meetings with the Bulls, so those three and a half points seem like a fair offer.
Pick: Take Indiana Pacers -3.5 at -110
The Total:
The over has hit in the last three matchups between Indiana and Chicago, but the under is 12-8 in their previous 20 encounters. Their last meeting went in the over despite producing just 210 points in total, while only one of the previous nine games between the Pacers and Bulls produced more than 220 points in total.
I’m backing the under here. The Bulls have to improve defensively after a humiliating first-half performance against Atlanta, and neither of these two foes loves to play at a very fast pace.
Pick: Go under 220.5 points at -110