Projected starting lineups for Saturday’s game and a prediction
Davis, Butler and Valentine are all question marks for Saturday’s game. Mirotic has already been ruled out with his sickness. It’s been clear that the Bulls need Butler on the floor to have any shot at beating anybody right now. He’s a MVP candidate and his absence has done nothing but strengthen his case for the award.
Going off a hunch before the official word comes out about the active players for both teams tonight, let’s assume both Davis and Butler will try to give it a go against each today.
Projected starting lineups for the New Orleans Pelicans:
Jrue Holiday, Buddy Hield, Solomon Hill, Dante Cunningham and Anthony Davis
Projected starting lineups for the Chicago Bulls:
Michael Carter-Williams, Dwyane Wade, Jimmy Butler, Taj Gibson and Robin Lopez
Next: Bulls vs. Pelicans: Live stream, how to watch, game info
Prediction
If — and that’s a if for now — Jimmy Butler plays on Saturday against New Orleans, that would be a big boost for the Bulls, who could use a win in the worst way after the week they’ve had.
The Bulls backcourt has been bad throughout the week, so Butler’s reappearance in the lineup would be a huge boost for them.
Saturday feels like a weird game. The 4 p.m. CST local start contributes to that. Plus, it’s the Bulls. Weird stuff happens all the time. This team may be bad, but they’re not boring by any means.
Having said that, a Bulls win in a tight one feels about right.