Two teams with lofty aspirations square off when the New Orleans Pelicans host the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night. The Pelicans made the playoffs last season but were swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round. The Bulls, meanwhile, finished last season with a 39-43 record. Chicago is 1-5 against the spread in its last six games played in October, while New Orleans is 4-9 ATS in its previous 13 games against an opponent from the Central Division.
Tipoff from the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans is set for 8 p.m. ET. New Orleans is favored by 6.5 points in the latest Bulls vs. Pelicans odds via SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 227. Before making any Pelicans vs. Bulls picks, you'll want to see the NBA predictions from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past six seasons. The model ended the 2023-24 season on a sizzling 94-61 roll on all top-rated NBA picks, returning more than $2,800 in the process. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Bulls vs. Pelicans and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for Pelicans vs. Bulls:
- Bulls vs. Pelicans spread: New Orleans -6.5
- Bulls vs. Pelicans over/under: 227 points
- Bulls vs. Pelicans money line: New Orleans -267, Chicago +217
- NO: The Pelicans are 1-8 ATS in their past nine games at home
- CHI: The Bulls are 1-5 ATS in their last six games played in October
- Bulls vs. Pelicans picks: See picks at SportsLine
- Bulls vs. Pelicans streaming: FuboTV (Try for free)
Why the Pelicans can cover
Forward Brandon Ingram is among the many scoring options for New Orleans. In 64 games last season, he averaged 20.8 points, 5.7 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 0.8 steals per game. He knocked down 35.5% of his 3-point attempts. Ingram also connected on 49.2% of his field goals and 80.1% of his free throws.
Guard C.J. McCollum is also an effective offensive weapon for the Pelicans. The veteran was among New Orleans' most productive players last season, averaging 20.0 points, 4.6 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game. He made 66 regular-season appearances, all starts, and connected on 42.9% of his 3-point attempts. See which team to pick here.
Why the Bulls can cover
Zach LaVine dealt with injuries last season, which limited him to just 25 games. LaVine looks like his old self heading into the 2024-25 season after logging 19 points, five rebounds, four assists and a steal across 31 minutes in last week's 125-123 preseason win over the Timberwolves. LaVine will be heavily relied on as the Bulls move forward without DeMar DeRozan this season.
Also leading the Chicago attack is center Nikola Vucevic. In 76 games last season, Vucevic averaged 18.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 0.8 blocks in 34.3 minutes of play. The Bulls hope to get production from Lonzo Ball, who hasn't appeared in a regular season game since January of 2022 because of lingering knee issues. In 252 career games, Ball is averaging 11.9 points, 6.2 assists and 5.7 rebounds per contest. See which team to pick here.
How to make Pelicans vs. Bulls picks
The model has simulated Bulls vs. Pelicans 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Under on the point total and it also says one side of the spread hits in nearly 60% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Bulls vs. Pelicans, and which side of the spread hits almost 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that was on a 94-61 roll on top-rated NBA picks last season, and find out.