Pelicans vs Bulls

New Orleans leans on Zion Williamson’s matchup advantages after dropping four straight while Chicago follows a five-game win streak with two heavy losses, creating a clash between the Bulls’ steadier 15-17 overall record and 8-8 home mark and the Pelicans’ 2-11 road struggles. With Dejounte Murray already ruled out and Herbert Jones listed as day-to-day for New Orleans, the Pels are not at full strength, but Chicago’s backcourt is similarly compromised after Coby White (calf) and Josh Giddey (hamstring) both exited their last game, joining depth concerns in the frontcourt and long-term rookie absence Noa Essengue. New Orleans has controlled this matchup recently, hanging 143 points on the Bulls in November behind Zion, Trey Murphy III and a deep scoring committee, and also winning in Chicago last season in a 119-113 road victory led by 32 points from Murphy, which reinforces how their blend of rim pressure and shooting repeatedly stresses Chicago’s soft interior and transition defense. Given the Bulls’ recent defensive slide (allowing over 122 points per game) versus a Pelicans offense that has erupted in this matchup before, Pelicans -120 on the moneyline earns a Grade of B-: injuries on both sides and New Orleans’ awful record limit confidence, but the modest juice on the more explosive offense still carries reasonable value. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 31/12/2025 09:43

Chicago’s offensive core with Giddey, White and Nikola Vucevic has been playing fast and loose, helping the Bulls average close to 120 points per game, while the Pelicans stumble in on a four-game skid surrendering roughly 123 nightly and fresh off a 130-125 shootout at Madison Square Garden that reached 255 combined points. Both sides are dinged — Giddey’s hamstring and White’s calf issues plus Murray’s confirmed absence and Jones’ day-to-day tag for New Orleans — but the defensive impact of those injuries likely outweighs any offensive drag, especially for a Bulls group already giving up over 122 per night and ranking near the bottom of the league in opponent efficiency. These rosters have a direct high-scoring history: their November clash exploded to 273 total points in a 143-130 Pelicans win, and last season’s meeting in Chicago still cleared 230 as Zion and Murphy repeatedly carved the Bulls’ interior and forced scramble rotations around the arc. With both teams’ recent form pointing to high tempo, porous transition defense and plenty of free throws, Over 245.5 (-105) gets a Grade of B: the number is aggressive and variance is real, but sustained pace and poor resistance on both ends justify a lean to another fireworks show. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 31/12/2025 09:43

Trey Murphy III’s history of big nights against Chicago, including a 32-point outburst in last season’s win at the United Center and 20 more in November’s 143-130 blowout, underscores how well New Orleans’ spacing and cutting attacks this particular defense even as the Pelicans arrive in Chicago riding a four-game losing streak. The Bulls may boast the better record but they’ve just seen a five-game win streak turn into a two-game skid featuring a 35-point demolition by Minnesota and another double-digit loss, and that slide has coincided with fresh leg issues for Giddey and White plus frontcourt questions around Zach Collins and long-term rookie absence Essengue. New Orleans is hardly healthy either with Murray sidelined and Jones banged up, yet lineups built around Zion, Murphy, Yves Missi and a deep shooting bench have consistently won the rebounding battle and free-throw margin in this matchup, giving them multiple avenues to cover a short number even if late-game shotmaking swings the moneyline. Because the 1.5-point spread adds one-possession volatility on top of road risk, Pelicans -1.5 (-110) is a lower-confidence C+ pick relative to the straight moneyline, still leaning toward New Orleans’ matchup edge but with slimmer perceived value. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 31/12/2025 09:43