Chicago Bulls at New Orleans Pelicans odds, picks and predictions

Nathan Beighle | Staff Writer

The New Orleans Pelicans (34-23) welcome the Chicago Bulls (26-30) to the Smoothie King Center Sunday. Tip is set for 7 p.m. ET. Let's analyze FanDuel Sportsbook's lines around the Bulls vs. Pelicans odds and make our expert NBA picks and predictions.

Season series: Bulls lead 1-0 after 124-118 win in Chicago on Dec. 2

The Bulls lost to the Boston Celtics 129-112 Thursday, failing to cover as an 8.5-point home underdog. Chicago has lost 3 of its last 4 games yet covered in 2 of them. It is 29-26-1 against the spread (ATS) on the season and 5-1 ATS over its last 6 on the road. The Bulls are led by G DeMar DeRozan, who is averaging 22.6 points per game.

The Pelicans lost to the Miami Heat 106-95 Friday, failing to cover as a 2-point home favorite. They have won 4 of their last 5 games yet are 2-3 ATS in that span. New Orleans is 31-25-1 ATS on the season and just 2-3 ATS over its last 5 games at home. The Pelicans are led by F Zion Williamson, who is averaging 22.5 points per game.

Bulls at Pelicans odds

Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access Paste BN Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:12 a.m. ET.

Moneyline (ML): Bulls +134 (bet $100 to win $134) | Pelicans -158 (bet $158 to win $100)
Against the spread (ATS): Bulls +3.5 (-108) | Pelicans -3.5 (-112)
Over/Under (O/U): 222.5 (O: -112 | U: -108)

Bulls at Pelicans key injuries

Bulls

G Zach LaVine (midfoot) out
F Patrick Williams (midfoot) out

Pelicans

F Brandon Ingram (illness) questionable
G CJ McCollum (ankle) out
F Zion Williamson (foot) questionable

For most recent updates: Official NBA injury report.

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Bulls at Pelicans picks and predictions

Prediction

Pelicans 118, Bulls 112

Moneyline

PASS.

The Bulls have struggled against solid road teams. While they are 2-2 in their last 4 road games, they beat the Atlanta Hawks and Memphis Grizzlies and lost to the Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers. The Pelicans are more like the latter, but are too expensive to take to win outright.

Against the spread

LEAN PELICANS -3.5 (-112).

New Orleans is the 6th-best home-covering team in the NBA with a 16-12 ATS record. While it will have a short-handed roster on Sunday, the Pelicans have a deep team full of capable scorers.

The Bulls have covered well as of late but are 15-13 ATS on the road this season. They have struggled to score as well, failing to hit 110 points in 2 of their last 3 road games.

Expect a close battle given the injuries to New Orleans, but take PELICANS -3.5 (-112).

Over/Under

BET OVER 222.5 (-112).

The Bulls have gone Over in 7 of their last 8 games, and many of their struggles have been on the defensive side of the court. They have allowed 126 or more in 2 of their last 3 and have allowed at least 120 in 4 of their last 7.

The Pelicans have gone Over in 2 of their last 3, scoring at least 127 in 2 of those. The skilled shotmaking should be on display, and the trends point to the Over as well.

Back OVER 222.5 (-112).

For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

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