Nick Richards (right elbow sprain): QUESTIONABLE — Richards has missed three consecutive games and remains a game-time decision. Per Fox Sports, if ruled out, Guerschon Yabusele (ankle, also QUESTIONABLE) would be in line to start at center. If both miss the game, Leonard Miller would likely get the start (Fox Sports, Apr. 1). This is unchanged from 24 hours ago but unresolved — monitor for pre-game confirmation.
Guerschon Yabusele (ankle): QUESTIONABLE — Returned from a one-game absence in recent days and is available, but his status remains unsettled heading into tip-off (CBS Sports/Sports Talk 790, Apr. 1).
Anfernee Simons (left ulnar styloid fracture/wrist): OUT — Confirmed out for Wednesday. No change; Simons has been out since February 22 (Fox Sports/Athlon Sports).
Season-ending absences (no change): Noa Essengue (shoulder), Zach Collins (toe), Jalen Smith (calf) all remain out for the season (ESPN/CBS Sports, Apr. 1).
Jaden Ivey (waived) — Late-Breaking Narrative: NEW since prior research. Ivey was waived by Chicago on March 30 following a series of online controversies. Reports from April 1 (The Athletic/ClutchPoints) confirm that on March 25, Ivey told the Bulls' head of player performance that "Jesus healed my knee" and he was ready to play; the team ordered an MRI on March 26 and shut him down for the season. He was waived four days later. On April 1 (today), Ivey revealed in a livestream that he had suicidal thoughts after his original leg injury (The Athletic, Apr. 1). This is a distraction-level off-court story but has zero on-court roster impact — Ivey had not been in Chicago's rotation.
Andrew Nembhard (lower back, injury management): OUT — Ruled out for Wednesday despite playing in each of Indiana's last five games. Next chance to return: Friday vs. Charlotte (Heavy.com, Apr. 1).
T.J. McConnell (right hamstring soreness): OUT — Confirmed out for this game (Heavy.com/CBS Sports, Apr. 1). Both Nembhard (15 pts last game) and McConnell are the Pacers' primary backcourt options; both being out is a significant structural blow.
Pascal Siakam (right knee, injury management): PROBABLE — Confirmed probable across ESPN, RotoWire, Basketball-Reference, and 8 Points 9 Seconds (updated Mar. 31/Apr. 1). Siakam appears on track to suit up for his sixth consecutive outing. He is Indiana's primary offensive weapon at 23.8 PPG.
Aaron Nesmith (neck): OUT | Jarace Walker (back): OUT — Both confirmed unavailable (Sports Talk 790, Apr. 1).
Season-ending absences (Pacers): Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles), Johnny Furphy (knee), Ivica Zubac (rib) — all out for the season, no change.
The spread opened Indiana -4.5 (Mar. 31) but multiple sources reflect confusion: thelines.com noted the spread moved from -2.5 to -4.5 earlier in the week, suggesting earlier sharp backing of Chicago. As of this morning (Winners & Whiners, ~9:52 AM ET, Apr. 1), 89% of dollars and 87% of tickets were on Chicago, yet the juice flipped against Chicago (+4.5 at -118) — a classic reverse line movement signal suggesting sharp/professional money on Indiana despite the public pile-on for Chicago. The total has climbed significantly from an opening of 242.5 all the way to 248.5, driven by both teams' consistent over trends (over has hit in 4 of last 5 for both clubs). FanDuel Research noted the total as 244.5 as of Tuesday evening; current lines across multiple books sit at Bulls -4.5 / Total 247.5–248.5 (predictem.com, thelines.com, Winners & Whiners, Apr. 1).
Key NEW information since the last research cycle: (1) Nembhard ruled OUT (was active last 5 games); (2) Jaden Ivey officially waived (Mar. 30) with off-court drama escalating today — zero roster impact; (3) Richards/Yabusele both remain game-time questionable with no resolution yet; (4) sharp reverse line movement favoring Indiana despite heavy public money on Chicago. Siakam expected to play.
Indiana Pacers:
Chicago Bulls:
Indiana leads this season's series 3-0 heading into Game 4. Previous results per ESPN game tracker and ChampsOrChumps:
Wait — ESPN's matchup box shows: Game 1 @ IND: 103-101 (IND win), Game 2 @ CHI: 120-105 (CHI win), Game 3 @ IND: 113-110 (IND win). The ChampsOrChumps source states the Pacers won all 3 games (though this conflicts slightly with ESPN). ChampsOrChumps notes the last game was a 113-110 Pacers win at home on Jan 28, 2026. Indiana currently has a 3-game winning streak against Chicago per that source. This is the 4th and final regular-season meeting, on the road at United Center.
In this season's matchups, Pascal Siakam has averaged 26.7 PPG / 7.3 RPG / 3.3 APG while shooting 43.8% from three in three games vs. Chicago (Heavy.com, Mar 31) — an elite individual performance line against this specific opponent.
Pace/Style: Indiana without Nembhard and McConnell at PG will run a drastically shortened rotation — Kam Jones, Quenton Jackson, and Ethan Thompson are candidates for expanded backcourt roles (Heavy.com, Mar 31). The Pacers will rely overwhelmingly on Siakam's creation with no true floor general. Chicago's Billy Donovan-led squad features Josh Giddey as a primary facilitator with Tre Jones and Collin Sexton in the backcourt post-trade-deadline rebuild. The Bulls have their own extensive injury issues: multiple starters out for season.
Interior Battle: With Zubac lost for the season and Walker out, Indiana's front line is Toppin + Jay Huff/Micah Potter. Chicago's Richards (elbow, questionable) and Miller/Yabusele (both uncertain) make this a genuine center-by-committee battle on both sides. Micah Potter has been hot — 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting vs. Miami (Heavy.com, Mar 31).
Defensive edge: Both teams are among the worst defensive units in the league this season. Indiana allows 120.6 PPG (per ESPN matchup stats); Chicago allows 121.1 PPG. Expect a high-scoring game — Simons (Chicago's best shooter acquired at deadline) is out, reducing Chicago's perimeter threat meaningfully.
SportsGrid's model projects Indiana to win by 5.0 points with a 65% win probability despite being the road team and trailing Chicago in record at game time. BetMGM referenced Indiana as -2.5 favorites in recent Pacers lines context. VegasInsider also shows Pacers -2.5. This reflects Indiana's season series advantage and Siakam's elite production vs. Chicago, despite the significant PG absences. The SportsGrid injury report listed Nembhard as OUT and McConnell as OUT — the market likely adjusted for these late-breaking injuries. The Bulls are at home and are fresher (this is their second of a quasi-back-to-back, though that may be overstated).