New Orleans Pelicans vs Chicago Bulls Prediction, Preview and Odds - 10/22/2021

Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Friday, October 22, 2021

Venue:  United Center, Chicago, IL

Where to Watch:  BSNO

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Pelicans +7, Bulls -7; Over/Under:  224 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Pelicans +6.5, Bulls -6.5; Over/Under:  224 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Pelicans NL, Bulls NL; Over/Under:  NL points

 

New Orleans Pelicans:  0-1 (5th place, Southwest Division)

Chicago Bulls:  1-0 (2nd place, Central Division)

 

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New Orleans Pelicans:  lost at home on Oct. 20 against the Philadelphia 76ers 117-97.

Chicago Bulls:  won on the road on Oct. 20 against the Detroit Pistons 94-88.

 

 

 

The Pelicans are coming into this game with a 0-1 record to start their season off after a loss in their home opener and first game of the season on Wednesday night. They lost to the 76ers 117-97 in a game that they kept close in the first half going into halftime tied but then came out in the second half and got dominated letting that game get away from them. Brandon Ingram led the team in points in that game with 25 along with 6 assists and 7 rebounds. Nickeil Alexander-Walker also had a good game with 23 points, 1 assist and 5 rebounds while Devonte' Graham was right behind with 18 points, 5 assists and 1 rebound. They did not get a lot of scoring production from their bench players in that game as Trey Murphy III led the bench with 6 pts. The Pelicans opened that game as a 1.5 point underdog with that line getting up to 4 points by closing while the point total opened at 227.5 and got down to around 223.5 by closing. They did not cover the spread in that or even get anywhere close as they were destroyed by 20 points in that game while the game stayed under the total with 214 points total.

 

 

The Bulls are coming into this game with a 1-0 record to start their season off. They won their first game of the season on the road against the Pistons 94-88 and will now be at home for their home opener in this game on Friday night. The Bulls did not look good in the first half of that game as they were trailing into halftime but they came out in the second half with a much better performance to win the game. Zach LaVine was incredible in that game as he led the team with 34 points, 4 assists and 7 rebounds. The next closest player was DeMar DeRozan with 17 points, 2 assists and 7 rebounds while Nikola Vucevic had 15 points, 4 assists and 15 rebounds. Vucevic, LaVine, and Lonzo Ball all led the team in assists with 4 while Vecevic led the team in rebounds with 15. They did not get a lot of scoring production from their bench in that game with Ayo Dosunmu leading the bench players with 7 points. The Bulls opened as a 3.5 point favorite in that game with the line getting up to 5 by closing while the point total opened at 220.5 and moved down to 217.5 by closing. They covered the spread in that game, covering the closing line barely by just 1 point, while the game stayed under the total with 182 total points as neither team scored 100 in that game.

 

 

The Bulls are coming into this game as a 7 point favorite with the current betting odds according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Bulls had a slow start in their season opener but looked much better in the 2nd half of that game and will now get to be at home for the first time this season in this game. The Pelicans were at home for their season opener and were dominated on their own court losing the game by 20. It will be hard for them to stop LaVine in this game with the way he is playing so the best bet to make in this game is on the Bulls to cover the spread here at home.

 

Pelicans Bulls Prediction:  Our NBA Pick for Friday, October 22, 2021 (8:00 pm ET start time) is Bulls 117 Pelicans 102.

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New Orleans Pelicans: 252-287 O/U as an underdog of 3.5 to 9.5 points. 421-457 O/U as an underdog. 282-306 O/U as a road underdog. 373-399 O/U in road games. 

Chicago Bulls: 234-281 O/U as a favorite of 3.5 to 9.5 points. 1015-1059 O/U in all games. 39-54 O/U when the total is 220 to 229.5. 432-483 O/U as a favorite. 282-345 O/U as a home favorite. 476-568 O/U in home games. 336-358 O/U in non-conference games.

 

 

New Orleans Pelicans:  J. Hart (SG) Ques Fri - Quadricep injury. Z. Williamson (PF) Out indefinitely - Foot injury.

Chicago Bulls:  P. Williams (SF) Ques Fri - Shoulder injury. M. Simonovic (C) Ques Fri - Thumb injury. C. White (SG) Mid Nov - Shoulder injury.

 

 

New Orleans Pelicans: Brandon Ingram is one player to watch in this matchup. He led the team in points and in assists in their first game of the season and he was their main source of offense throughout that game. They will need him to lead the team here and carry them on his back to win this one so look for him to do that here.

 

Chicago Bulls: Zach LaVine is one player to watch in this contest. He went off their first game of the season leading his team in points and in assists in that game. He scored over 30 points himself in that one and looks really good on the court already. He will be even better in this one now that the first game is out of the way so look for him to go off again in this game.

 

 

"They've been in these moments before. They know how to win down the stretch. We'll get there. First game for us — everything's new. These guys are learning a new system, a new way to play. ... The fourth quarter didn't go our way, but we'll get better." - Willie Green on his team in their season opener.

 

 

"We have a lot of work in front of us, but I give the guys a lot of credit for grinding through the game." - Billy Donovan after his team’s season opener.

 

 

 

PG     Devonte' Graham

SG     Nickeil Alexander-Walker

SF     Brandon Ingram

PF     Naji Marshall

C     Jonas Valanciunas

 

PG    Lonzo Ball

SG    Zach LaVine

SF    DeMar DeRozan

PF    Patrick Williams

C     Nikola Vucevic

 

 

PPG: B. Ingram (25)

APG: B. Ingram (6)

Reb/G: J. Valanciunas (12)

 

PPG: Z. LaVine (34)

APG: Z. LaVine (4)

Reb/G: N. Vucevic (15) 

 

Coaches:

New Orleans Pelicans: Willie Green (1st season)

Chicago Bulls: Billy Donovan (2nd season)