Chicago Bulls vs Indiana Pacers Prediction, 12/31/2021 NBA Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Chicago Bulls vs Indiana Pacers

Date: Friday, December 31, 2021

Location: Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN

TV: Bally Sports Indiana

The Indiana Pacers (14-21) welcome the Chicago Bulls (22-10) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Friday.

The Bulls played the Hawks and walked away with a win by a score of 131-117 in their last contest. Chicago ended the contest having earned a 61.9% field goal percentage (52 of 84) and made 10 of 22 3-pointers. From the charity stripe, the Bulls buried 17 of 22 attempts for a rate of 77.3%. With regard to grabbing boards, they earned 41 with 6 of them being offensive. They also doled out 38 dimes in this matchup while forcing the other team into 3 turnovers and earning 9 steals. When it comes to the defense, Chicago let their opponent shoot 47.8% from the field on 44 of 92 shooting. Atlanta recorded 37 dimes and had 26 steals for this game. In addition, Atlanta grabbed 27 rebounds (10 offensive, 17 defensive) and got 6 blocks. Atlanta finished the contest at 69.2% from the charity stripe by burying 18 of their 26 attempts. They also buried 11 out of their 26 shots from beyond the perimeter. When it comes to personal fouls, the Bulls walked away with 18 while the Hawks finished the game with 11 personal fouls.

Zach LaVine is one player who was a factor for this game. LaVine finished the game at 76.9% from the floor and also recorded 5 assists. He was on the hardwood for 32 minutes played and also totaled 2 rebounds. He accumulated 25 points on 10 out of 13 shooting.

Get all of our NBA Picks Tonight

Chicago enters this contest with a mark of 22-10 on the season. They lose possession via turnover 13.2 times per contest and as a basketball team they commit 18.6 fouls every game. As a team, Chicago is collecting 42.8 rebounds per game and has accumulated 765 dimes on the season, which is 24th in basketball in terms of passing the ball. The Bulls are connecting on 38.0% on shots from 3-point land (362 of 953) and 81.3% from the free throw line. They have an average of 110.8 points per contest (8th in basketball) while going 47.6% from the field.

On the defensive end, the Bulls are forcing their opponents into 14.7 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 18.0 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 3rd in the NBA in allowing assists with 734 conceded for the year. The Bulls defense is allowing a shooting percentage of 45.4% (1,260 of 2,776) and they concede 43.9 rebounds per contest as a group. They are surrendering 36.3% on 3-point attempts and they are ranked 13th in the NBA in PPG allowed (106.9).

When they last stepped on the court, the Pacers went home defeated by a final of 116-108 when they faced the Hornets. In relation to how they rebounded, Indiana permitted Charlotte to grab 40 overall (8 offensive). They went 34.6% from 3-point land by shooting 9 out of 26 and walked away from this one shooting 19 out of 32 at the free throw line (59.4%). The Pacers permitted the Hornets to knock down 44 of 85 attempts from the field which had them shooting 51.8% in this matchup. When the final whistle blew, the Pacers shot 36 out of 86 from the field which had them shooting 41.9%. In reference to shooting from 3-point land, Indiana made 17 of their 45 attempts (37.8%). They were able to bury 19 of the free throw tries for a rate of 65.5%. The Hornets committed 13 personal fouls in this game which took the Pacers to the charity stripe for a total of 29 tries. They also turned it over 18 times, while recording 8 steals for this game. The Pacers were able to snag 35 defensive boards and 10 offensive boards for a total of 45 for the matchup.

Caris LeVert ended up being a factor for the Pacers for the game. LeVert tallied 27 points in his 39 mins of playing time and accumulated 6 dimes for the contest. He made 8 of 23 for the contest giving him a rate of 34.8%, and had 7 rebounds.

Indiana has a mark of 14-21 for the season. On the offensive side of the court, the Pacers are shooting 45.8% from the floor, which is 14th in the NBA. Indiana has accounted for 3,774 points so far this season (107.8 per game) and they grab 45.1 boards per game. They are assisting teammates 23.8 times per contest (13th in the league) and they are losing possession via turnover 14.1 times per contest. The Pacers have committed 19.8 fouls per contest and they shoot 77.7% from the charity stripe.

The Pacers are ranked 16th in basketball in PPG allowed with 107.4. They are forcing 13.3 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 46.2% from the field (22nd in the league). The Indiana defense allows 35.8% on 3-point attempts (382 of 1,068) and their opposition makes 78.1% of their free throw attempts. They have allowed 21.9 assists and 42.5 rebounds per game, which has them ranked 3rd and 4th in basketball.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Indiana

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here