Pelicans betting odds vs. Bulls: Will Brandon Ingram play?

The New Orleans Pelicans will take on the Chicago Bulls tonight and should get a boost to their lineup.

Larry Nance Jr. is set to make his debut for the Pelicans tonight, which should help with the bench depth and give the Pels another option defensively.

While it will be nice to get Nance Jr. into the rotation, the real question is whether Brandon Ingram will play.

He is currently listed as doubtful with the same hamstring injury, and though he is unlikely to play, at least he has been upgraded.

The Pelicans need him the most in the upcoming games against the Spurs and Lakers, which will be the two most important of the season because of how close the three teams are in the standings.

There is big motivation for the Pelicans to get the 9th seed and increase the chances they get to keep their 2022 NBA Draft pick.

The Bulls will be shorthanded as well, as Zach LaVine is listed as probably, DeMar DeRozan is questionable and Lonzo Ball is still out indefinitely.

Not to pile on Lonzo, who I like, but we are now seeing why the Pelicans might have been hesitant to extend him. He has been out since the middle of January and may not return at all this season.

The Pels are already building around two injury-prone players in Ingram and Zion Williamson, so relying on Lonzo Ball, who has yet to come close to playing a full season in the NBA, was not worth the risk.

He’s been great for the Bulls, but if he’s not in there it doesn’t matter. Availability is an ability that has to matter for the Pelicans considering the injuries to their stars.

Can the Pels get back on track at home vs. the shorthanded Bulls?

New Orleans Pelicans vs. Chicago Bulls: Odds, spread, over/under and best bets

According to WynnBET, the Pelicans are one point underdogs at home against the Bulls.

This is a pretty strong indication that the books don’t think Ingram is going to play, as I think the Pels might be favored in this one if he was with DeRozan potentially out.

The money lines are set at +100 for New Orleans and -120 for Chicago and the over/under is a combined 227.5 points.

I like the Pelicans to win this one outright, so would take the money line and get the better odds. The under looks good as well, as both of these teams could be missing key scorers and have been relying on their defense of late.

With Ingram likely out, CJ McCollum and Jonas Valanciunas are the Pels’ best fantasy options, with the rest of the guys a complete crap shoot.

Jaxson Hayes has put up some good games but disappeared in the last one. Naji Marshall has filled the stat sheet a few times but is always a risk, so it’s really a pick your poison situation when it comes to the Pels’ role players.

Stick with CJ and Jonas while you wait for Brandon Ingram to return to your daily fantasy lineup.

How to watch Pelicans vs. Bulls

The game vs. Chicago will tip off at 7:00 PM CT and you can watch on Bally Sports New Orleans or listen on ESPN 100.3 FM.