Bulls at Pelicans
The Chicago Bulls are surging at the right time and begin a critical four-game road trip at the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday. A dysfunctional group at times this season, the Bulls have suddenly righted the ship with three straight wins and four in their last five games to get even with Miami and Indiana in a tight battle for the final two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference.
Jimmy Butler scored 33 points and hit a pair of free throws in the closing seconds to lift Chicago to a 106-104 win over Atlanta on Saturday. The Bulls hit 12 3-pointers - their sixth straight game with at least 10 - while also pulling within two games of the sixth-place Hawks with six games to play. Their road trip features matchups with three of the four worst teams in the East and the Pelicans, who have averaged 119 points during a two-game winning streak. DeMarcus Cousins scored 37 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in New Orleans' 117-89 rout of his former team, the Sacramento Kings, on Friday.
TV: 6 p.m. ET, CSN Chicago, FSN New Orleans
ABOUT THE BULLS (37-39): Point guard Rajon Rondo continued his late-season surge with a season-high 25 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday's victory. He is averaging 16.7 points, 10 assists and 9.7 rebounds during the three-game winning streak while shooting 52.4 percent from the field. Butler had 28 points, eight rebounds, six assists and four steals in a 107-99 win over the Pelicans at home Jan. 14.
ABOUT THE PELICANS (33-43): New Orleans is a long shot to make the playoffs, trailing eighth-place Portland by 4 1/2 games entering Saturday, but it is encouraged by its current 8-3 run. "We're constantly on ourselves about trying to make this thing work and building that chemistry and that team camaraderie," Cousins told the media. "It's just fun to be able to come out there and produce and also see it come together." He is averaging 34 points and 12.8 rebounds over his last four games and the Pelicans are 5-1 in the past six games with Cousins in the lineup.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. New Orleans has won a season-high six straight at home.
2. Bulls SG Denzel Valentine has made exactly three 3-pointers in seven of his last 11 games.
3. Pelicans PF Anthony Davis scored 36 points and his fellow starters had 23 in the loss at Chicago earlier this season.