Pelicans vs. Bulls Injury Report for Dec. 31: Will Herb Jones Play?

The New Orleans Pelicans will be short-handed on their New Year's Eve trip to Chicago.

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The New Orleans Pelicans are headed to Chicago to take on the Chicago Bulls for the third time this season. In a very rare situation where a Western Conference team plays an East opponent more than twice in a season, the Pelicans look to sweep their season series against the 15-17 Bulls. The Pelicans, who are down at the bottom of the West with an 8-26 record after losing four straight, are desperately looking to stop their slide.

Unfortunately, they will be attempting to do so without a few key contributors. Jose Alvarado will miss his second straight game after getting a two-game suspension for his physical altercation with Suns center Mark Williams on Saturday.

Jose Alvarado & Herb Jones Unavailable for Pelicans vs. Bulls on Dec. 31

In addition to Alvarado, the Pelicans will also be without defensive stalwart Herb Jones. The 27-year-old forward sprained his ankle against the Mavericks last Monday and has missed the Pels' last four games. The Pelicans ruled him out for Wednesday's clash 24 hours in advance, which suggests that Jones isn't necessarily close to returning to action.

This will be the 13th game Jones will have missed this season. The Pelicans have gone 1-11 in the games Jones was unavailable, underlining the importance of the versatile defender. With Jones in the lineup, the Pelicans are a much more respectable 7-15.

Missed games due to injuries have been a problem for the Pelicans once again. In addition to Jones, the Pelicans were without Zion Williamson for 16 games and Poole for 19 games. Dejounte Murray has yet to suit up this season as he is recovering from a ruptured Achilles and still doesn't have a clear timetable for his return.

Without Alvarado and Bey, the Pelicans will dig deeper into their rotation. Williamson took his starting spot back against the Knicks and should continue to start in Jones' absence, next to Jeremiah Fears, Derik Queen, Saddiq Bey, and Trey Murphy. Kevon Looney returned to the rotation for the first time in weeks, playing 24 minutes. In Alvarado's absence, Jordan Hawkins saw some playing time on Monday, scoring two points in 12 minutes.

Poole, Looney, Hawkins, Micah Peavy, and Yves Missi should make up the ten-man rotation for head coach James Borrego, in addition to the five starters. Whether Bryce McGowens and Karlo Matkovic will see the floor remains to be seen.