New Orleans Pelicans vs Chicago Bulls Picks & Prediction for Wednesday December 31 2025
The New Orleans Pelicans travel to the United Center in Chicago to take on the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, December 31, 2025, with tip-off set for 7:00 PM ET. The game will be broadcast on CHSN. Despite New Orleans owning just eight wins on the season, the Pelicans are slight road favorites in what projects as a tightly contested matchup between two teams struggling defensively. Make sure you check out all of our free NBA picks to not miss a single game.
New Orleans Pelicans Team Breakdown
New Orleans enters this matchup at 8–26 overall and 2–11 on the road, riding a four-game losing streak. While the record is ugly, the Pelicans have been competitive offensively, consistently pushing games into high-scoring territory. Over the last five games, New Orleans has averaged over 120 points allowed, a major reason they have struggled to close games late.
From a statistical standpoint, the Pelicans are scoring 115.5 points per game, but allowing 122.8 points per game, one of the worst defensive marks in the league. They are shooting 46% from the field, pulling down 43.4 rebounds per game, and averaging 24.6 assists, showing they can generate offense when the ball is moving. The issue remains defensive consistency, particularly on the perimeter and in transition.
Injuries remain a major storyline for New Orleans. The Pelicans will be without Herbert Jones, Jose Alvarado, and Dejounte Murray, removing multiple defensive-minded guards and wings from the rotation. That puts pressure on their remaining backcourt depth to limit turnovers and keep Chicago from getting easy looks.
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Chicago Bulls Team Breakdown
Chicago comes in at 15–17 overall and 8–8 at home, but they are trending in the wrong direction after back-to-back losses, including a blowout loss to Minnesota. While the Bulls have been solid offensively at times, defensive lapses and roster absences have started to pile up.
Statistically, Chicago is averaging 118.3 points per game, but allowing 122.4 points per game, nearly identical to New Orleans defensively. They shoot 47% from the field, rebound well at 45.6 per game, and average an impressive 29.3 assists, indicating strong ball movement when healthy. However, efficiency drops significantly when key creators are missing.
That’s the case here. The Bulls will be without Josh Giddey and Coby White, along with multiple rotation players including Lachlan Olbrich, Trentyn Flowers, and Emanuel Miller. With both primary guards sidelined, Chicago’s offense becomes far more reliant on secondary playmaking, which has shown to stall late in games.
Matchup Outlook
This matchup features two defenses ranked near the bottom of the league in points allowed, which explains the massive total sitting in the mid-240s. However, Chicago’s injury situation limits their ability to sustain offense for a full 48 minutes, while New Orleans still has enough scoring options to exploit defensive breakdowns.
Home court gives Chicago some stability, but New Orleans has the edge in roster availability at key positions, especially in late-game shot creation.
Pick & Prediction
ATS Pick
I’m backing New Orleans -1.5.
Even with their poor road record, this line is essentially asking the Pelicans to win the game outright. With Chicago missing both primary ball handlers, I trust New Orleans to have the cleaner offensive possessions late. The Bulls’ defensive issues combined with their guard absences make it hard for me to justify backing them, even at home.
Total Lean
I lean Under 245.5. That number is extremely inflated, and Chicago’s injuries increase the likelihood of offensive droughts that pull this game below the posted total. Check out all the sportsbook promos to see if you are getting a great deal on your bets on the Pelicans. Make sure you know about how the fans are looking on prediction markets for the Bulls with the Kickr promo code. Make sure when you place your bet on Pelicans vs Bulls you are using the BetMGM bonus code.
Final Score Prediction
Pelicans 123, Bulls 119
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