Pelicans guard Jordan Poole sprinted to the left corner in the fourth quarter after getting a screen and launched a three-pointer that hit the top of the backboard.
The Bulls had an opening to continue cutting into the Pelicans’ lead but turned it over after Poole jumped the passing lane for a transition layup.
Those are the breaks, and the Bulls didn’t create enough good ones with their poor shooting in their 114-104 loss to the Pelicans. Two of New Orleans’ five victories have come against the Bulls.
The Bulls’ offense was as cold as the frigid weather in Chicago. The Bulls shot 26.5% from three-point range and 41.3% from the field. Despite the low percentages, coach Billy Donovan lauded the Bulls for their process in generating those three-point shots.
“The way we played tonight is a sustainable style because even though we shot the ball incredibly poorly, we gave ourselves a chance,” Donovan said.
The Bulls were more connected defensively than they were in previous games, but the Pelicans also shot a ghastly 24.2% from long range and entered Sunday with a bottom-five offense. So the Bulls put up more resistance, but they weren’t facing an offensive juggernaut.
In the fourth quarter, the Bulls trailed 92-88 after a three-pointer by Kevin Huerter but couldn’t keep chipping away as the Pelicans went on a 22-10 run to put the game out of reach.
“We competed at a high level,” said guard Coby White, who scored 20 points but shot 1-for-10 from three-point range. “We competed. Some nights the shots ain’t gonna fall, and those are nights we’ve got to figure out how to get over that hump when we cut it to one or we take the lead by a couple of points. We’ve got to figure out how to get over that hump on nights like this.”
White wasn’t too concerned about his poor shooting night, knowing that the law of averages will turn in his favor sooner rather than later.
Donovan said it’s good for the team if White is getting up 10 three-point shots because of how dangerous a scorer he is and how it opens up driving lanes for the rest of the team.
The only Bulls in a rhythm were Huerter and Patrick Williams, who combined to shoot 6-for-12 from long range. The rest of the team shot 7-for-37 from three and missed mostly wide-open looks. The Bulls scored 46 points in the paint.
But Isaac Okoro shooting eight three-pointers might have played into the Pelicans’ hands. A once-potent Bulls attack has been toothless lately, and the team isn’t good enough defensively against most opponents to survive rough shooting nights.
Over the last two weeks, the Bulls were 28th in offensive rating, according to Cleaning the Glass. The slump has coincided with many Bulls being in and out of the lineup or on a minutes restriction.
White said that the team was trying to build off Friday’s second-half performance against the Hornets but acknowledged that everyone is still trying to find their timing as players have been shuffling in and out of the lineup.
“Everybody has to find their rhythm, and so it’s gonna take time, but we ain’t got a lot of time on our side,” White said.