Two teams battling to hold onto their respective playoff positions will meet Thursday in the Big Easy as the Bulls take on the Pelicans. The Bulls have gone cold since the All-Star Break, losing 9 of 12, and as a result their status as a top six team in the East is very much in doubt right now. In the West, The Pelicans are just trying to get into the play-in round, currently occupying the last spot.

The Bulls lost on Tuesday and in doing so gave up 126 points. The team’s defensive efficiency has taken a real hit in the second half of the year. Three times in the last four games Chicago has given up at least 125 points.

I do think we’ll see them score more than the 98 points they put up in Milwaukee. Given the defensive lapses, it’s odd that the Under is 8-1 in the Bulls' previous nine contests. Similarly, it’s strange that the Pelicans’ last three games have all stayed Under. But those three games were all played on the road.

New Orleans had scored at least 115 in five consecutive games before scoring just 103 in a loss at Charlotte Monday night. The Pelicans fell apart offensively in the fourth quarter (only 19 points) after leading most of the game.

The Pelicans’ leading scorer Brandon Ingram, who has missed the last eight games, might return tonight. That would be the icing on the cake. Regardless, look for this one to go Over, which is something that has happened each of the last five times the Bulls have faced a team with a losing record.