3rd Quarter Report
The Pacers already have more points against the Bulls than they managed in total against the Nets last Wednesday. Sitting on a score of 103-93, the Pacers have looked like the better team, but there’s still one more quarter to play.
The Pacers entered the contest with four straight defeats and they’re well on their way to making it five. Can they turn things around, or will the Bulls hand them another loss? Only time will tell.
Who’s Playing
Indiana Pacers @ Chicago Bulls
Current Records: Indiana 9-14, Chicago 10-13
How To Watch
- When: Friday, December 6, 2024 at 8 p.m. ET
- Where: United Center — Chicago, Illinois
- TV: Chicago Sport Network
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $33.00
What to Know
The Bulls will be in front of their home fans on Friday, but a look at the spread shows they might need that home-court advantage. Having just played yesterday, they will get right back to it and host the Indiana Pacers at 8:00 p.m. ET at United Center. The Bulls are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they’ve averaged 119.8 points per game this season.
The Bulls are headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They strolled past the Spurs with points to spare on Thursday, taking the game 139-124. The win made it back-to-back victories for Chicago.
The Bulls relied on the efforts of Ayo Dosunmu, who dropped a triple-double on 27 points, ten rebounds, and 11 assists, and Nikola Vucevic, who went 16 for 22 en route to 39 points plus eight rebounds and five assists. What’s more, Dosunmu also racked up three threes, the most he’s had since back in April.
The Bulls were working as a unit and finished the game with 36 assists (they’re ranked fifth in assists per game overall). That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they’ve now racked up at least 25 assists in 17 consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, the Pacers’ recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Wednesday after their fourth straight loss. They fell 99-90 to the Nets. Indiana didn’t live up to their potential and found themselves falling short of the advantage oddsmakers thought they had coming into the game.
Chicago’s victory bumped their record up to 10-13. As for Indiana, their defeat dropped their record down to 9-14.
Everything went the Bulls’ way against the Pacers in their previous matchup back in March, as the Bulls made off with a 125-99 win. In that contest, the Bulls amassed a halftime lead of 64-43, an impressive feat they’ll look to repeat on Friday.
Odds
Indiana is a 3.5-point favorite against Chicago, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Pacers as a 2.5-point favorite.
The oddsmakers are expecting fireworks from the offense and set the over/under at a high 247.5 points.
See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
Chicago has won 6 out of their last 10 games against Indiana.
- Mar 27, 2024 – Chicago 125 vs. Indiana 99
- Mar 13, 2024 – Chicago 132 vs. Indiana 129
- Dec 28, 2023 – Indiana 120 vs. Chicago 104
- Oct 30, 2023 – Chicago 112 vs. Indiana 105
- Mar 05, 2023 – Indiana 125 vs. Chicago 122
- Feb 15, 2023 – Indiana 117 vs. Chicago 113
- Jan 24, 2023 – Indiana 116 vs. Chicago 110
- Oct 26, 2022 – Chicago 124 vs. Indiana 109
- Feb 04, 2022 – Chicago 122 vs. Indiana 115
- Dec 31, 2021 – Chicago 108 vs. Indiana 106
