Central Division foes will collide when the Chicago Bulls (6-3) play the Indiana Pacers (6-4) at the United Center. Action begins at 8:00 pm ET on Monday, Nov. 16 and can be seen on CSC and FxI.
The Bulls enter this game hoping for similar success after topping the Hornets 102-97 on Friday. Jimmy Butler was the team’s leading scorer with 27 points on 8-for-16 shooting. The Pacers, meanwhile, are coming off a 107-103 win against the Timberwolves on Friday. Paul George led the game in scoring by registering 29 points on 8-for-17 shooting.
George has been hot for the Pacers, averaging 30.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.2 steals, and 2.8 three-pointers over the past five games.
The Bulls are a five-point favorite against Indiana and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at 197 points. The Bulls come into this game 6-3 Straight Up (SU) and 3-6 Against The Spread (ATS). Although they have struggled to cover the spread against the East (2-5), they’ve won fairly consistently (5-2). The rebounding edge goes to the Bulls in this matchup, who are one of the top rebounding teams in the league with an average of 47.6 boards per game. Chicago’s defense can be considered for best in the league, allowing an NBA-best .409 opponent field-goal percentage.
As for their opponent, the Pacers have a record of 6-4 both ATS and SU. Against the Eastern Conference, Indiana is 5-2 SU and 6-1 ATS. The Pacers allow just 95 points per road game, ranking them fifth in the league.
The divisional foes meet for what will be their first head-to-head battle of the season. Chicago won the last game in the matchup, bringing the head-to-head record to an even 5-5 SU over the last 10 meetings. They are also even ATS in their last 10 games.
Predictions: SU Winner – Chi, ATS Winner – Chi, O/U – Under
Notes
Chicago is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chicago’s last 7 games.
Chicago is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games.
Chicago is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Chicago is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Chicago’s last 19 games when playing Indiana.
Chicago is 14-3 SU in its last 17 games when playing at home against Indiana.
Chicago ranks 15th in points per game with 101.4, while Indiana ranks sixth in points allowed with an average of 96.1 given up.
On average, Chicago scores 97.6 points per home game (ranked 23rd), while Indiana allows 95.0 points per away game (ranked fifth).
When giving up under 100 points, Chicago has a fantastic record of 5-1 this season. Indiana has an even record of 3-3 when it scores fewer than 100 points.
The Chicago Bulls have a losing 1-2 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Indiana Pacers are 3-1 when they hit triple digits.
The Bulls have an offensive rating of 99.1 (ranked 24th). The Pacers rank eighth for their defensive rating of 98.4.
Chicago averages 102.4 possessions per game, scoring .991 points on each possession. While Indiana averages fewer possessions per game with 97.4, the team scores more points per possession with .991.
Indiana has an average effective field goal percentage of 48.1%. Chicago is an even 1-1 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, Chicago attempts 24.0 three pointers and Indiana attempts 21.0 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, the Bulls are 3-2 while the Pacers have a winning 2-1 record.
The Chicago Bulls, with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.56, rank eighth in the NBA. The Indiana Pacers have a lower A/TO (1.36), ranking 23rd.
Chicago ranks fourth among all teams in rebounding, placing the team near the top of the league (47.6 per game). Indiana, however, ranks 26th in rebounding with 42.0 per game.
The Chicago Bulls are the NBA’s best defensive rebounding team. The Indiana Pacers rank 16th in offensive rebounding.
Indiana has forced one of the highest average turnover rates this season with 17.3% (ranked fourth). In games where their turnover rate is 17.3% or higher, Chicago is an even 1-1.
