LDN - Sports

Preview: Pelicans at Bulls

[January 14, 2017] SportsDirect Inc.

The up-and-down nature of the Chicago Bulls' season is in another down cycle, with the team averaging 94 points in three straight losses. The Bulls will try to find a way to put more points on the board and snap the slide when they host the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday.

Chicago averaged 115.7 points during a three-game winning streak that included victories over Toronto and Cleveland before settling into its current lull, and an illness running through the locker room is robbing the team of some of its best offensive weapons. Leading scorer Jimmy Butler (25 points) went 0-of-6 from the field in 29 minutes against Oklahoma City on Monday before sitting out the last two games and Nikola Mirotic, who averaged 13.3 points during the winning streak, joined Butler and rookie Denzel Valentine on the bench this week. The Pelicans can use all the help they can get as they attempt to dig out of an early-season hole and make a move toward the top eight in the Western Conference over the second half of the season. The Pelicans improved to 2-1 on their five-game road trip with wins at New York and Brooklyn in the last two games.

TV: 5 p.m. ET, FSN New Orleans, CSN Chicago

ABOUT THE PELICANS (16-24): Star power forward Anthony Davis collected 40 points and 18 rebounds in 29 minutes against the Knicks before leaving with a hip injury and did not play in the 104-95 win over the Nets on Thursday. New Orleans, which does not expect Davis to be sidelined long and lists him as day-to-day, leaned on Tyreke Evans in the absence of their superstar, and Evans delivered with 29 points on 10-of-15 shooting in 28 minutes off the bench. "I thought Tyreke did a really good job, attacking the basket," Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry told reporters. "That's what he is. We tried to put him in a situation where he'd be going downhill, and I thought he did a great job with that."

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ABOUT THE BULLS (19-21): Veteran guard Dwyane Wade managed to avoid the bug going around the team so far and is hoping it doesn't spread further. "I'm definitely worried right now," Wade told reporters. "We've got three guys out. We don't have the luxury of missing key guys. Hopefully Saturday we don't have any more down. We get at least one or two back. We can have most of our team going into a home game." Wade, who was held out Tuesday to rest on the second night of a back-to-back, is doing his best to carry the team and scored at least 20 points in each of his last three games.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Bulls PG Rajon Rondo returned to the rotation in the last two games and totaled 16 points on 8-of-22 shooting and 14 assists off the bench.

2. Pelicans PF Donatas Motiejunas went 0-of-7 from the floor on Thursday and is averaging five points in three games since joining the team.

3. Chicago took the last four in the series.

PREDICTION: Pelicans 109, Bulls 104

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