Chicago Bulls vs Indiana Pacers 2/4/22: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Betting Odds, Predictions

Chicago Bulls vs. Indiana Pacers Matchup Preview (2/4/22)

The Chicago Bulls will look to build on their momentum, having won four of their past five, when facing the volatile Indiana Pacers. Indiana cannot seem to decide on its future, and despite a clear need to trade all of its pieces and start over, it looks less and less likely to happen with each passing day. For now, the Pacers are starting merely one of their regular starters, Caris LeVert, as everyone else is injured, including Myles Turner, Malcolm Brogdon, and Domantas Sabonis. They have regularly deployed starting lineups with at least two or three rookies. Meanwhile, Chicago has had players like Ayo Dosunmu step up recently with the absence of Lonzo Ball. Despite Dosunmu’s terrific play, they still miss Ball, evidenced by their 5-5 record in the past ten games. It’s hard to imagine this being a close game after the first quarter or so, but check out below to see whether Indiana will cover as slight home dogs or if Chicago will put the Pacers away and coast to the finish line!

Chicago Bulls vs. Indiana Pacers Betting Odds

I’m all over the Chicago Bulls against the spread in this game. The Indiana Pacers have no business competing with this team and I would fully expect a double-digit win for Chicago. If the Pacers roll out a starting lineup of Chris Duarte, Caris LeVert, Torrey Craig, Justin Holiday, and Terry Taylor, or anything remotely similar, then this should be a blowout as the Bulls have them outmatched at every position. There are still so many playmakers on Chicago that Indiana won’t be able to keep up, even if the Bulls’ defense hasn’t been nearly as good as advertised recently.

How To Watch

Date: 2/4/22
Time: 7:00 PM ET
Arena: Gainbridge Fieldhouse – Indianapolis, IN
Channel: NBA League Pass

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Chicago Bulls Starting Lineup

PG: Ayo Dosunmu
SG: Zach LaVine
SF: DeMar DeRozan
PF: Javonte Green
C: Nikola Vucevic

Chicago Bulls Analysis

Despite being without starting point guard and floor general Lonzo Ball, the Chicago Bulls have found a way to make due. This is primarily due to the outstanding and efficient play of Ayo Dosunmu. Dosunmu has “future starter” written all over him, and his averages since starting point to that. As a rookie, he’s put up roughly 13 points, seven assists, and five rebounds. Additionally, Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan are each having All-Star-caliber seasons, and Nikola Vucevic is one of the better big men in the NBA today. This team is deep, too; they bring Alex Caruso when he is healthy, and Coby White off the bench, giving them the most depth at the guard position. This game should hardly be an issue for the Chicago Bulls, even without their starting point guard Lonzo Ball.

Indiana Pacers Starting Lineup

PG: Caris LeVert
SG: Chris Duarte
SF: Justin Holiday
PF: Torrey Craig
C: Terry Taylor

Indiana Pacers Analysis

The Indiana Pacers can’t decide what to do, even when the clear direction is in front of them. They need to tank and rebuild, and while that is by no means a fun thing to do when running an NBA franchise, it can occasionally be necessary. This is one of those instances. The Pacers have won games with their backups playing but have gotten blown out when playing their starters for most of the season. For instance, the Pacers won an away game against the Golden State Warriors without their usual starters. However, they dropped a home game to the Orlando Magic in their most recent game. Indiana needs to move on and trade all of its core players, but it is to be seen whether or not that happens. In the meantime, we are stuck with the Pacers starting four or five guys who do not usually start. They will be hungry but quite inconsistent, and predicting the outcome of these Pacers games will be a challenge.

Chicago Bulls vs. Indiana Pacers Daily Fantasy Picks

If you are a passive NBA fan or DFS player, you likely have not heard of Terry Taylor. Taylor played his college ball for Austin Peay and was undrafted during last year’s draft. Then, he signed a contract with the Pacers, was cut, and lastly signed as an affiliate player, posting big numbers for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. Finally, six weeks ago, Taylor signed a two-way contract with the Pacers six weeks ago and has been getting plenty of minutes, especially in the face of a tanking Pacers year. While he may be far from a household name, Taylor has significant upside, evidenced by his two most recent games. His averages for the two games he played at least 20 minutes with the Pacers have been nearly 20 points, 12 rebounds, and 2.5 assists. He’s still incredibly cheap in DFS, and if you can get him in a good matchup, where you know, he will get minutes, then plug him in. He could make DFS players a lot of money.

With Lonzo Ball out for the foreseeable future, the Bulls have emphasized getting Ayo Dosunmu a ton of minutes and experience. Dosunmu has drawn ten straight starts for the Bulls, and while he doesn’t fill the stat sheet up quite as much as Lonzo, he does get the job done for them. Dosunmu has averaged 12.7 points, 6.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game in those ten games. Most notably, Dosunmu is playing with unbelievable efficiency, with a shooting split of 56/46/87. It’s hard to dream of a scenario where Dosunmu starts once Lonzo Ball is healthy again; however, he has proven his effectiveness and will thus get plenty of floor time. In the meantime, Dosunmu is a terrific DFS play with a reasonable salary. You can grab him for pretty cheap, which makes him incredibly valuable.