Pelicans vs Bulls prediction, odds, preview

The New Orleans Pelicans will complete the second half of a back-to-back when they hit the road to take on the Chicago Bulls this evening. It’s the third stop in a challenging six-night stretch when the Pelicans play four games.

New Orleans (11-9) started the stretch with an impressive 124-114 win over the Philadelphia 76ers and followed it with a 121-106 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Friday. Zion Williamson had one of his best games as a professional against the 76ers with 33 points on 11-of-12 shooting with eight rebounds, six assists and three steals.

Guard C.J. McCollum also returned to the lineup in the 76ers win, playing for the first time in over three weeks and showing little effects from his collapsed lung. McCollum had 20 points in 28 minutes.

Chicago (6-14) snapped a five-game skid with a 120-113 overtime win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday. Forward Nikola Vucevic had 29 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in the win while Coby White had 23 points and seven assists. The Bulls will be without dynamic forward Zach Lavine for at least a week with a foot injury. Lavine has also been involved in trade rumors as the struggling Bulls are looking at changing up their roster.

Caesars Sportsbook, the official odds partner of Bet.NOLA.com, lists the Pelicans as 3-point favorites with an over/under of 219.

Let’s take a closer look at the odds and trends:

New Orleans Pelicans atChicago Bulls

Time/TV: 7 p.m. CT (Bally Sports)

Point spread (from Caesars): New Orleans -3

Over/under: 219

Moneyline: New Orleans -155, Chicago +130

Analysis: The key number here is 113 points. New Orleans is 9-2 against the spread when scoring at least 113 points while Chicago is 3-0-1 against the spread when hitting that number.

Williamson only played 26 minutes Friday, which means he should be OK to play in the back-to-back. Bulls guard DeMar DeRozan is questionable, potentially leaving Chicago without another major offensive option.

The 219 total points number is appealing here with the Bulls' defense in the bottom third of the league and the Pelicans possibly a little weary from the quick turnaround.

Prediction: New Orleans Pelicans 114, Chicago Bulls 111

Best bet: Pelicans-Bulls OVER 219 (-110 via Caesars)