Date: Friday, December 6, 2024
Venue: United Center, Chicago, IL
Broadcast: CHSN Plus
This Friday, the Indiana Pacers (9-14) head to the United Center, set to clash with the Chicago Bulls (9-13).
In their latest outing, the Pacers faced off against the Nets but unfortunately fell short, ending the game with a 99-90 defeat. Indiana committed 19 fouls while Brooklyn had 18. From three-point territory, the Pacers made 12 of 36 attempts. Brooklyn excelled at the free-throw line, hitting 17 of 23 for a 73.9% success rate. The Nets controlled the boards with 43 rebounds (7 offensive, 36 defensive) and added 10 blocks to their tally. They also recorded 24 assists and 12 steals during the match. Defensively, the Pacers allowed a shooting percentage of 43.2% to their opponents, resulting from 35 makes out of 81 attempts. Offensively, Indiana accumulated 20 assists and forced 17 turnovers, resulting in 6 steals while gathering 39 rebounds, including 5 on the offensive end. The Pacers converted 18 of 22 free-throw attempts (81.8%) and ended the game with a field goal percentage of 42.7% (32 out of 75) along with hitting 8 of their 33 three-point shots.
Tyrese Haliburton was a key player in this matchup, finishing with 17 points on 5 of 13 shooting, alongside 8 assists and 3 rebounds while playing for 37 minutes.
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The Pacers come into this matchup with a 9-14 record this season. They average 113.4 points per game (14th in the NBA) with a shooting efficiency of 48.2%. Indiana shoots 36.6% from beyond the arc (280 of 765) and 78.4% from the free-throw line. As a team, they average 39.9 rebounds per game and boast a league-leading 621 assists this year, ranking 5th in the NBA for team assists. The Pacers commit 15.1 turnovers and 20.6 fouls per game.
On defense, Indiana forces 14.9 turnovers while averaging 19.3 personal fouls. They allow 36.2% shooting from three-point range and rank 26th in points per game allowed (118.2). Opponents have shot 48.5% (987 out of 2,033) against them and the Pacers concede 43.6 rebounds per game, currently 24th in the league for assists allowed with 606 surrendered thus far.
In their previous encounter, the Bulls secured a decisive 128-102 victory over the Nets, racking up 43 defensive rebounds and 11 offensive boards for a total of 54. Despite committing 17 turnovers, Chicago managed to grab 8 steals. The Nets committed 19 fouls, giving the Bulls 19 free-throw attempts which they converted at an 84.2% rate. From three-point territory, Chicago successfully made 16 of 47 attempts (34.0%). Overall, the Bulls shot 48 of 92 from the field, resulting in 52.2%. Brooklyn, on the other hand, shot 40.0% (38 of 95) overall and 33.3% from beyond the arc (14 of 42) while hitting 12 of 15 free throws (80.0%). On the boards, the Bulls allowed Brooklyn to gather 41 rebounds (10 offensive).
Nikola Vucevic was instrumental in the Bulls’ victory, scoring 21 points in 28 minutes, grabbing 10 rebounds, and distributing 3 assists with an impressive 72.7% shooting rate (8 of 11).
Currently, the Bulls have a record of 9-13 this year. They average 118.9 points per game with a team free-throw percentage of 79.1% while committing 18.3 fouls per game. Chicago’s assists rank 5th in the NBA at 28.9 per game, with a turnover average of 15.5. As a collective, they have accumulated 2,616 total points this season (averaging 118.9 points per game) and pull down 44.6 rebounds per game. Offensively, they boast an impressive 47.7% field goal shooting, placing them 9th in the league.
On the defensive end, the Chicago Bulls are allowing 34.9% shooting from three-point range while opponents convert 76.3% of their free-throw attempts. Chicago gives up averages of 29.7 assists and 46.0 rebounds per game, ranking them 29th and 26th in the NBA respectively. The Bulls rank last in points allowed per game (123.2) and allow 48.4% shooting from the field (26th in the league) while forcing an average of 12.2 turnovers.
Free Prediction: Bet on Indiana (-3.5)
