Game Recap: Late surge leads Pelicans over Bulls |
Dustin Riese
· · 2 hours ago
CHICAGO - Just when you thought the Chicago Bulls (10-15) may have gotten back on track after picking up a victory on Friday, it was more of the same on Sunday as the Bulls welcomed the New Orleans Pelicans (5-22) to the United Center. In what was the second meeting in the past few weeks between these teams, this is one of those games where, on paper, the Bulls should beat the club, as they are by far the more talented.
Well, that is why they don't play games on paper, and when it comes to the Bulls, they can't beat anyone right now, as a massive fourth quarter surge allowed the Pelicans to take what was a close game and turned it into a 114-104 victory as the Bulls drop yet another game to a team they should beat. When you look at this game as a whole, this one was decided in two quarters as the Bulls failed to close out the first half strongly and then could not contain the Pelicans in the fourth. All in all, New Orleans outscored the Bulls in those two quarters by 19, including by nine in the fourth quarter, as the Bulls dug themselves another massive hole in the first half that they tried to climb out of. The most frustrating part of all this is that the Bulls are actually starting to get healthy again, with many of their injured players returning. That included Kevin Huerter, who came up huge off the bench with 16 points, his highest total in nearly a month. He was the only player to score in double digits off the bench, but he was also the Bulls' second-leading scorer, which is a massive issue. For all the trade talks surrounding Nikola Vucevic in the past, it is Coby White who is generating the most trade buzz at the moment, as several teams are showing interest in trading for him. With a team-high 20 points, White continued to play well offensively, but with just 1-10 from distance, it was an overall rough night. Chicago also saw Vucevic finish with 12 points and eight boards, with Josh Giddey adding 11 points as their offense struggled to find much rhythm throughout. The Pelicans, on the other hand, had far more scoring balance as six players picked up double-figure points, four of which came from the starting five. Leading the way for New Orleans was Trey Murphy, who tied White with a game-high 20 points and added 10 rebounds. Murphy wasn't alone in having an excellent night for the Pelicans, as he was joined by Jeremiah Fears, who also had 20 points, as those two gave the Bulls plenty of fits. Even if those were the only players to drop 20 points for the Pelicans, the Pelicans still had plenty of production across the board, and a big reason for that was the decision to keep Zion Williamson on the bench as he continued to dominate on the second unit. In 27 minutes, Williamson led all bench players with 18 points, looking much different. You also saw Jordan Poole go through some shooting struggles of his own, especially from deep, but still managed to come away with 16 points for the Pelicans. Herbert Jones and Saddiq Bey finished the day with 10 points to help the Pelicans pick up a rare road win. Despite the loss, Chicago remains within striking distance of a Play-in Spot, tied with the Milwaukee Bucks for the final spot, with the Bucks holding the tiebreaker. The Bulls are back in action on Wednesday, as this easy stretch of games comes to an end with the Cleveland Cavaliers next up for Chicago.
MCCLUNG drops 41 in win over Boom
NOBLESVILLE - While the undefeated start by the Windy City Bulls (7-7) may be a distant memory, the Bulls have continued to play better than expected, which has to be a breath of fresh air when you look at their parent club. In their most recent game with the Noblesville Boom (5-9) on Sunday afternoon, the Bulls were looking to bounce back after dropping one to the Boom on Saturday.
As has been the case more often than not when the Bulls take the court, defense was optional as both teams put up better than 130 points on the offensive end, with Windy City finding a way to get the job done 137-134. With several players expected to be dealt from the Chicago Bulls, you have to wonder if any of the G-League players are going to get an opportunity.
Mac McClung is a name to watch as the season goes on, as he put the Bulls on his back in this one, leading all scorers with 41 points and dishing out 10 assists in the win. He has been one of the Bulls' more consistent players this season, as has been Kevin Knox, who added 27 points to pace the Bulls' offense. Emanuel Miller (17 points), Trentyn Flowers (15 points, 10 rebounds), and Giorgi Bezhanishvili (13 points) came away with the big nights for the Bulls starting five.
Knox and McClung weren't the only players going off as the Boom had a pair of players putting up big numbers on their own. Taelon Peter was one of those players, as he paced the Boom with 33 points and eight rebounds. He wasn't alone, as Gabe McGlothan (27 points) and Kyle Guy (26 points) shouldered most of the offensive load for the Boom as they did their best to keep things close throughout.
