Coby White, Bulls Hand Pelicans Third Straight Road Loss
The Chicago Bulls defeated the New Orleans Pelicans ()() Saturday night in the United Center. New Orleans was thrilled to learn Zion Williamson would play in his first back-to-back game this season, but it was not enough to get the victory. The Pelicans played without CJ McCollum and Trey Murphy III, who both rested out of precautionary reasons.
New Orleans started the quarter strong, gaining a 21-12 advantage midway through the quarter. Chicago then went on a 13-2 run to gain the lead toward the end of the first quarter. After a buzzer-beating shot by DeMar DeRozan, the Bulls took a 32-29 lead into the second quarter. New Orleans offense was stagnant at times, committing four turnovers and dishing just five assists in the quarter.
Jordan Hawkins led the Pelicans with six points, while the Bulls had two players each score seven points in the first frame. Zion Williamson only attempted one shot in the quarter and scored one point. Friday night against the Spurs, Williamson attempted no shots in the first quarter, so he's been starting games extremely slow.
Zion made up for the slow start in the second quarter by scoring 10 points to lead New Orleans. The Pelicans erased the Bulls' slim lead and went on a 13-4 run on their own to end the half. New Orleans got a major bench contribution from Jose Alvarado who returned from injury to score eight points in the half. The Pelicans bench scored 19 points in the half, and the Pels led 61-53 at the half. Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson each led the Pelicans with 11 points.
Dec 2, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) shoots against the Chicago Bulls during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Chicago came out after halftime and completely dominated the third quarter. Bulls guard Cody White scored 16 points in the quarter, while the Pels scored just 21 points as a team in the third. The Pelicans couldn't keep pace with the Bulls' ball movement. Chicago had 27 assists through three-quarters of play. New Orleans didn't capitalize on the Bulls' best defender going out with injury. Alex Caruso left the game in the third quarter and did not return. The Bulls led New Orleans 89-82 after outscoring the Pelicans by 15 points in the quarter.
The Pelicans got back into the game with a strong start to the quarter. The score was tied at 98 points before Coby White again asserted himself. White scored nine points in three minutes to push the Chicago lead to 110-104 with over four minutes to play in the game. The Pelicans threatened no closer in the game, and New Orleans lost its third straight road game.
Zion Williamson finished with 27 points in 30 minutes, but offense was not the issue for New Orleans. The Bulls are near the bottom of the NBA in points per game, but in the second half, Chicago scored 71 points in the victory. Coby White scored 31 points on a career-best eight made three-point shots. The Pelicans, as a team, only made eight three-point shots. the Chicago victory over New Orleans breaks a three-game winning streak the Pels had in the series.
