3 takeaways from the Chicago Bulls' 111-115 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans

The Bulls couldn’t execute down the stretch, leading to their seventh loss of the season.

© Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Bulls couldn't get anything going down the stretch, leading to a 115-111 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. It was a disheartening loss in front of their home crowd that dropped their record to 6-7 for the season. Here are three takeaways from the game.

The Pelicans' 4th quarter explosion

With the game hanging in the balance, the Bulls could not get a stop when they needed it most. Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson took over in the fourth quarter, scoring 27 of the Pelicans' 36 points to push New Orleans to the victory. Williamson scored 11 of his 19 points during that stretch and punished the Bulls inside when they tried to go small.

"HOW BOUT THE REVERSE" !! pic.twitter.com/cW4SMVIESJ

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) November 10, 2022

On the other hand, Ingram was sensational in crunchtime, scoring one tough basket after another to put the Pelicans in front for good. He finished the game with 22 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists on 8-for-14 from the field.

LaVine encouraged to take more catch-and-shoot shots

It's no secret how averse the Bulls are to shooting three-pointers. The team ranks 23rd averaging just 11 three-pointers made per game. Head coach Billy Donovan has encouraged Zach LaVine to take more catch-and-shoot threes to improve that number.

LaVine heeded his coach's advice on Wednesday, taking 12 three-point attempts. He made three of those shots, but the important thing is that he actively looked for his shot from beyond the arc. With LaVine's skill set, he needs to be firing away from three-point range as often as possible.

"As great as he's been offensively, the one thing he has to try to do for our team is to try to take those catch-and-shoot 3s," Donovan said.

No Bulls game, though, would be complete without Zach attacking the rim, which he did effortlessly on this play:

Takeoff 🛫@ZachLaVine | @NBCSChicago pic.twitter.com/jcbHyaxGAm

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) November 10, 2022

Faltering in crunchtime

Last season, the Bulls were one of the best teams in the clutch -- the game's last five minutes when the score is within five points. That has not been the case thus far, as the team struggled to close out games. So far this season, the Bulls have a record of 0-6 in clutch situations - the only squad not to have a victory. 

Last season, they finished with the third most clutch wins in the league (25), leaning mostly on DeRozan who had a historic clutch run, becoming the first player in NBA history to hit walk-off game-winners on back-to-back nights.

Next up for the Bulls is a home game against the Denver Nuggets, as they look to bounce back from yesteday's loss.