Two nights after narrowly escaping a game against the one-win Washington Wizards, the Chicago Bulls were at it again against one of the league’s worst.
After opening the night with 6-straight fastbreak points and forcing a Pelicans timeout, things took a turn. New Orleans started to find their groove against a Bulls defense that has been among the league’s worst over the last week-plus. Not only did they go 8-13 in the restricted area over the course of the first quarter, but they also went 6-8 from downtown. This undoubtedly came as a surprise considering their 33.6 percent success rate on the season, which ranks as the NBA’s sixth-worst shooting clip.
The hot shooting had the Pelicans up 37-30 heading into the second quarter. They would only expand on this league over the next few minutes thanks, in part, to second-chance opportunities. Ever since the Bulls’ disastrous outing against the Trail Blazers, where they lost 38-10 in this category, teams have clearly moved offensive rebounding to the top of their scouting report against Chicago. New Orleans would end the half up 12-3 in second-chance points.
Their lead ballooned to as much as 22 in the second quarter. The Bulls were able to rattle off a run and bring things back down to a 10-point deficit, but the Pelicans punched right back. Williamson scored 8-straight points to end the quarter and put his team up 74-58. It was their highest scoring half of the season by far, with the second now being opening night’s 67 points in the first half versus Memphis.
The free-throw line was also a clear difference-maker over the first two quarters, underscoring the Bulls’ problems in the physicality department. They shot a mere 2-6 compared to the Pelicans’ 14-17 performance. If this game was going to change, the Bulls needed to tighten the screws defensively and focus a lot more on attacking downhill.
Right on cue, they came out of the locker room and chucked up threes on six of their first seven possessions. Now, they did make four of those to knock the Pelicans’ lead back down to single digits, but the fact that their approach remained largely unchanged didn’t swing the momentum enough. The Pelicans continued to feast at the rim and knock down just enough open threes to keep their cushion. By the end of the quarter, the Bulls had only cut into the 16-point lead by a single point.
It wasn’t until about halfway through the final frame that the Bulls looked desperate. They were able to toy with making it another clutch game, but the Pelicans knew what they had to do. They corralled loose rebounds and pounded the paint to hold onto their advantage. As Coby White finally put his head down to get into the paint and Tre Jones picked guys up full court down the stretch, it was hard not to wonder where that sense of urgency was all game. But isn’t that the same question we have been asking for the last week-plus?
Indeed, the more you play with fire, the higher your chance of getting burned. The Bulls barely beat the banged-up Trail Blazers and almost lost to the one-win Wizards. The way they were squeaking out wins wasn’t sustainable, and they learned that the hard way tonight. Yes, I recognize that Nikola Vucevic, Isaac Okoro, Kevin Huerter, and Dalen Terry were stuck in street clothes. That matters. But enough to be the difference in a game against the two-win (now three-win) Pelicans? It shouldn’t.
The only good news is that the Bulls now have a much-needed three-day break. They have some real soul-searching to do before their Friday night meeting with the Charlotte Hornets. Their schedule is arguably the most favorable in the NBA over the next two weeks, and failing to come out on top of that stretch would be a disaster for the organization.
Player Grades
Ayo Dosunmu – AStats: 28 PTS, 2 REB, 1 AST
At least Ayo Dosunmu showed up. He was about the only player who understood that New Orleans had just as bad a defense as the Bulls. He attacked the rim on repeat and pushed the tempo in the open floor, leading to an 11-16 night from the field. If only his peers followed suit!
Coby White – B-Stats: 24 PTS, 6 AST, 5 REB
While Coby White was able to settle in a bit as the game went on and shoot 7-10 from the free throw line, his 3-10 night from downtown and five turnovers just didn’t cut it.
Tre Jones – CStats: 10 PTS, 11 AST
Similar to Dosunmu, Jones at least had an understanding of what this offense should have been doing. He was also one of the few Bulls not to turn the ball over.
Jalen Smith – CStats: 13 PTS, 6 REB, 1 AST
To be honest, I’m not sure why the Bulls didn’t play him even more with Nikola Vucevic out. He wasn’t perfect, but I think it’s safe to say the small ball didn’t work!
Josh Giddey – C-Stats: 21 PTS, 7 REB, 6 AST
When Josh Giddey only had one assist in the first half, you knew the Bulls were in some serious trouble. He finished the night with five turnovers and some brutal defensive possessions. Likewise, if he’s chucking up 10 threes, you know something is wrong. I don’t care that he knocked down four of them; the majority of his attempts need to come in the paint.
Matas Buzelis – C-Stats: 10 PTS, 4 REB, 2 BLK
Billy Donovan clearly didn’t like what he saw from Matas Buzelis tonight. He was benched to start the second half and only played a total of 21 minutes. The physcality was just too much for him at times. With that said, I actually would have liked to see the ball in his hands more offensively when the Bulls were struggling.
Patrick Williams – D+Stats: 6 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST
Patrick Williams had a pretty tough assignment tonight, starting in place of Nikola Vucevic. He was out of position and looked like it.
Chicago Bulls Box Score
Check out the full box score here.
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