Pelicans Seek To Avoid Winless Road Swing In Chicago

Having lost four of five away from home, including three in a row, the Pelicans look to salvage their road trip with a victory over the Bulls.

After dealing with injuries for more than a week, the New Orleans Pelicans are fully healthy, and yet they have stumbled to consecutive road losses to the Atlanta Hawks and Indiana Pacers to open their current three-game trip through Eastern Conference.

The pages of Pelicans Scoop are becoming more and more populated with stories of the team's defensive woes protecting the paint, stopping the pick and roll, and shutting down the three-pointer.

New Orleans has struggled with stagnancy on offense and indifference on defense.

They haven't played with the consistency required of a team that features as much talent as the Pelicans do.

Now the Pelicans are sitting at .500 for the first time this season, facing the prospect of dipping below heading into tonight's contest with the Chicago Bulls (6-6).

Like the Pelicans, Chicago has been consistently inconsistent; never winning or losing more than two games in a row so far this season.

New Orleans and Chicago have shared three opponents, with the Pels taking two of three against Brooklyn, Charlotte, and Indiana, while the Bulls are undefeated against that trio.

The Bulls are coming off an impressive 111-97 win over the Toronto Raptors. Zach Lavine led the way for six players in double-figures with 30 points.

Expect the Bulls to attack the Pelicans the way most of their opponents have in the early stages of the season.

Chicago is capable of scoring at all three levels. DeMar Derozan continues to put up points in his 13th season, averaging 23.8 ppg with Lavine right on his heels at 21.9.

Nikola Vucevic will test the Pels inside and out. Chicago's center is shooting 39 percent from deep and averages a double-double with 16.4 points and 12.3 rebounds per game.

One thing Chicago doesn't have is a tremendous amount of size in its frontcourt. Outside of Vucevic, only three other players on the roster stand at least 6-10. Two of those three rarely play, and veteran center Andre Drummond was unavailable against Toronto with a shoulder injury.

The Bulls could also be without backup guard Coby White, who is dealing with an injured quad.

Right now though, the Pelicans aren't playing the Chicago Bulls. 

They're playing against themselves. More often than not, they've been their own worst enemy in their losses.

Z 👀

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— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) November 8, 2022

While their overall scoring numbers are remarkably similar. Some categories are actually lower in their wins than in their losses. 

On the defensive side, when they lose the Pels are allowing their opponents to take 10 more shots per game. They foul just a bit more. They give up a few more points in the paint. 

To further illustrate the difference between a locked in Pelicans team and one that isn't...in their five wins, New Orleans gave up an average of 105.4 ppg. In their five losses that number skyrockets to 123.8.

If tonight's game turns into a track meet, the likelihood of the Pels snapping their two-game skid decreases.

As the old adage goes, "Offense sells tickets, but defense wins championships."

The Pelicans have 11 home games over the next few weeks starting with a six-game homestand beginning on Thursday in a back-to-back with the Portland Trail Blazers.

A loss to the Bulls would have the Pels facing a four-game losing streak, something inconceivable less than a month ago.

Time to stop the bleeding now. 

On the injury front, Larry Nance Jr. is listed as questionable after hyperextending his left knee against Indiana. If he can't go, there will be plenty of pressure on Jaxson Hayes and Willy Hernangomez to pick up the slack.

New Orleans Pelicans vs Chicago Bulls

Location: United Center

Time: 7:00 PM CST

Watch: Bally Sports NO

Listen: WRNO