Pelicans top Bulls |
CHICAGO—When you talk about teams being settlers or stuck in neutral, the Chicago Bulls (18-22) are a prime example of what we mean. Not only is this team 18-22 through 40 games this season, but they had an identical record through 40 games last season. The year before that, they were 19-21. They have been consistent yet as inconsistent as one can get.
That tells you that this team is not anywhere close to being good enough to compete with the best in the league, yet they aren't bad enough to be a top 10, let alone a top-five pick. That doesn't bode well for a team that will lose their first-round pick if they pick outside the top 10, as this team continues to be frustrating at best. A big reason for the Bulls ability to hover around .500, is that they are beating the teams they should beat with another one of those teams coming to the United Center on Tuesday in the New Orleans Pelicans (9-32). For whatever reason, things haven't gone well for the Pelicans this season, as injuries and their inability to win on the road have done them for most of the season. On this night, the Pelicans can say they had the last laugh as they were locked into a tightly contested contest through three quarters that saw them erase a six-point halftime deficit to tie things up entering the fourth. Then came the final 12 minutes, where the Pelicans suddenly caught fire from the field to build a 10-point lead before holding off the Bulls 119-113. Not only did the Bulls drop a game they realistically should've won, but Zach Lavine saw his 30-plus point streak end at eight consecutive games. However, he put up another strong game overall as he led the Bulls with 25 points and grabbed seven boards. He was one of three big-time scorers for the Bulls, as their big three was alive and well. Backing Lavine was the big man Nikola Vucevic, who displayed an all-around game with 22 points and 15 rebounds. Coby White also managed to give the Bulls 22 points and did so on a 1-8 shooting night from distance as the Bulls struggled to connect on the outside shot. With Patrick Williams and his eight points having another rough game and Josh Giddey picking up only seven points despite picking up 12 assists and 13 boards, the Bulls were going to need plenty of production from their bench, which they got. Jalen Smith and Lonzo Ball played a significant role in that, as they were responsible for 24 of the team's 29 bench points. Smith led the way with 13 points, while Ball collected 11 points with eight rebounds and six assists. Matas Buzelis rounded out the scorers with five points as he continued to see plenty of minutes. As mentioned, a significant reason for the Pelicans' struggles this season has been their injuries, and once again, Zion Williamson missed plenty of time to begin the year. Williamson has been a walking injury most of his career, but when he has been on the court, he has proven to be a force, which was the case on Tuesday with his 21 points and nine assists. As good of a game as that was, it wasn't close to being the top performance of the night, as that belonged to Trey Murphy III. Murphy, one of the fastest-rising players in this league, had a massive night with 32 points despite going 2-13 from beyond the arc. Chicago also had to contend with Dejounte Murray, among others, as he rounded out the trio of double-digit starters with 15 points to give the Pelicans three great scoring options. Like the Bulls, New Orleans benefitted from a trio of staters shouldering the load, and it was the Bulls starter who put up the best of the numbers. That meant that for the Pelicans to have any shot of a comeback win, it would come down to the bench, which it did as they were plus 10 in bench scoring, which was the difference in the game. Jose Alvarado played the biggest role on the Pelicans' second unit as he came away with 12 points off four triples in just 16 minutes. Jordan Hawkins added nine points while two others picked up seven in a solid win for the Pelicans. Chicago will be back on the floor Wednesday night as they will look to knock off the Atlanta Hawks.
