Chicago Bulls vs New Orleans Pelicans Prediction, 3/3/2021 NBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Chicago Bulls vs New Orleans Pelicans

Date: Wednesday, March 3, 2021

Location: Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA

TV: Fox Sports New Orleans

Odds/Point Spread: Chicago (+5)

The New Orleans Pelicans (15-19) play the Chicago Bulls (15-18) at Smoothie King Center on Wednesday. The spread on this contest has New Orleans as 5-point favorites. The O/U is set at 236.

The Chicago Bulls took the court against the Denver Nuggets and took a loss by a final of 118-112 in their last contest. Chicago walked away from the game with a 44.7% FG percentage (42 out of 94) and buried 12 of their 38 shots from distance. At the free throw line, the Bulls made 16 of their 22 tries for a rate of 72.7%. In regard to getting rebounds, they earned 44 with 14 of them being of the offensive variety. They also distributed 25 dimes for this game in addition to forcing the other team into 12 turnovers and getting 7 steals. With respect to the defense, Chicago allowed their opponent to shoot 52.9% from the field on 46 out of 87 shooting. Denver distributed 22 assists and had 4 steals in this contest. Moreover, Denver grabbed 50 boards (9 offensive, 41 defensive) and earned 6 blocked shots. Denver shot 80.0% at the free throw line by burying 16 of 20 tries. They also buried 10 out of their 27 tries from beyond the arc.

Zach LaVine is someone who played a role in the matchup. He ended up scoring 23 points on 9 of 20 shooting. He saw the court for 31:52 mins and also pulled down 9 rebounds. LaVine went 45.0% from the field and also earned 5 dimes. Someone else that played a role in the game for the Bulls was Coby White. He pulled down 10 rebounds in his 37:06 minutes played on the night. He shot 41.2% from the floor in the matchup by shooting 7-of-17 (20 points). When the final whistle was blown, White accounted for 3 assists.

Chicago heads into this matchup with a mark of 15-18 on the season. They average 114.6 pts per contest (8th in the NBA) on 48.5% from the floor. The Bulls are connecting on 37.7% on three-point shots (431 of 1,143) and 79.7% from the charity stripe. As a team, Chicago is grabbing 44.2 boards per game and has earned 862 dimes on the year, which is 13th in basketball in terms of passing the ball. They are turning it over 16.0 times per contest and as a unit they commit 20.1 fouls every game. Defensively, the Bulls are forcing 14.0 turnovers per contest while drawing 19.4 fouls. They currently rank 8th in the league in allowing assists to the opposition with 783 surrendered this year. The Bulls defense is giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 47.3% (461 of 640) and they surrender 42.9 rebounds per contest as a unit. They surrender 35.4% from beyond the arc and they rank 24th in the NBA in points per game allowed (114.9).

When they last played, the New Orleans Pelicans took home the win by a final score of 129-124 against the Utah Jazz. The Pelicans snagged 43 defensive boards and 10 offensive rebounds for a total of 53 for the matchup. They also gave up possession 13 times, while getting 5 steals in the game. The Jazz were called for 22 fouls for the game which got the Pelicans to the charity stripe for a total of 23 shots. They were able to bury 18 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 78.3%. When it comes to three-point attempts, New Orleans knocked down 7 of 11 tries (63.6%). In all, the Pelicans ended up shooting 52 out of 92 from the field which gave them a rate of 56.5%. The Pelicans allowed the Jazz to convert 46 out of their 101 tries from the field which left them with a shooting percentage of 45.5% in this game. They finished 39.5% from behind the 3-point line by hitting 17 out of 43 and finished the contest at 15 of 18 from the free throw line (83.3%). Concerning rebounds, New Orleans allowed Utah to grab 39 in total (11 offensive).

Brandon Ingram ended up having an impact for the Pelicans for this game. He converted 11 out of 20 in the game for a field goal rate of 55.0%, and totaled 4 rebounds. Ingram scored 26 points in his 38:14 mins on the court and accumulated 5 assists in the game. Someone else who came through for New Orleans was Zion Williamson. He came away with 5 dimes in his 33:57 mins played, and he knocked down 10 out of 17 from the floor. Williamson ended up shooting 58.8% from the field as well as totaling 26 points and 10 boards.

New Orleans has a mark of 15-19 this season. The Pelicans are responsible for committing 17.4 personal fouls per contest and they hit 73.2% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 25.4 times per game (12th in the league) and they are turning it over 14.0 times per contest. New Orleans has accounted for 3,940 points this season (115.9 per game) and they collect 46.5 rebounds per game. As an offensive team, the Pelicans are hitting on 48.5% from the field, which has them ranked 3rd in basketball. The Pelicans on the defensive side of the court are 26th in the NBA in points given up per game with 115.9. They are able to force 13.1 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 47.5% from the floor (25th in the league). The New Orleans defense allows 39.4% on 3-point attempts (538 of 1,366) and opponents are converting on 79.6% of their free throw shots. They have conceded 27.7 assists and 40.6 rebounds every game, which has them ranked 29th and 1st in the league.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Chicago (+5)

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