The Indiana Pacers play host to the Chicago Bulls at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Wednesday.

The Bulls (19-30) have three wins in their last four games and own a 6-4 record over their last 10 fixtures in total. That's the club that we expected to see at the beginning of the season and it has them right in the thick of things for the playoffs. In fact, Chicago now finds themselves ninth in the conference, just two games back on the Brooklyn Nets in eighth. Some would argue that the Bulls are the more talented team too but it's a wonder if they can hold up with guys like Wendell Carter Jr and Lauri Markkanen sidelined. If they can just maintain this gap and get both of those guys around the All-Star break, Chicago is a sneaky threat to reach the postseason behind Zach LaVine's 25.2 points per game.

The Pacers (30-17) enter this matchup with a 17-5 record at home. That's simply one of the best marks in the NBA and it has Indiana fighting for one of the Top-3 seeds in the east. What fans will be talking about here is the return of Victor Oladipo. The superstar shooting guard is slated to return for this game after missing about a year of action because of a severe leg injury. That would make one believe that he'll be on a minute's limit, getting him acclimated to playing basketball yet again. While they're obviously happy to have him back, it does bring up some interesting chemistry issues. Malcolm Brogdon and Domantas Sabonis have been spectacular in their expanded roles and it remains to be seen how they react with a ball-dominant guy like Oladipo back in the fold. That's something to keep an eye on for the final months of the season but they're obviously better off with Oladipo back on the floor.

These teams have played twice this season, with Indiana winning both outings by double-digit margins. In fact, that gives the Pacers seven-straight wins over the Bulls in total.