Pelicans Tame Bulls, Reclaim 9th Seed

The New Orleans Pelicans defeated a DeRozan-less Bulls team and reclaimed the Western Conference's ninth seed.

The New Orleans Pelicans defeated a DeRozan-less Bulls team and reclaimed the Western Conference's ninth seed.

The New Orleans Pelicans got off to the right start in their crucial 3-game homestand by defeating the Chicago Bulls 126-109. 

The team knew the stretch of games could make or break their playoff chances. The Pelicans played with a sense of urgency, as Coach Green acknowledged in his pregame presser. Perhaps, no player seemed to embody that more than Devonte' Graham. He led the team by scoring a season-high 30 points in the victory.

It was no secret that Devonte' has had his struggles recently. He averaged just 7 points on less than 30% shooting in his last four games. Thursday night, he scored on 66% shooting from the field. What was his secret? Well, he ditched his signature braids and let the afro fly.  

Coach Willie Green joked during his postgame media session that "he can't change his hair back now after scoring 30. Hopefully, next game, he'll have that same look."

Hopefully, the Pelicans will have this same in the next game.  

After a seesaw first half, New Orleans led 63-62 at halftime and up by 1 point heading into the 4th period. Next, they blew the doors open with a 40-24 run in the final quarter.  

The catalyst for the surge was none other than guard Jose Alvarado who scored 15 points off the bench and dished out seven assists. His play was phenomenal as the starting backcourt scored 55 points.  

They needed to be great because the Bulls' Zach Lavine was once again a scoring machine against the Pelicans. He finished with a game-high 39 points to lead the way for Chicago.

The Pelicans played relatively mistake-free basketball, turning the ball over just 11 times. When they value protecting the basketball, this team can score with anyone in the league, and they proved that versus a good Bulls basketball team. 

 The Pelicans shot nearly 50% from the floor and made 32 of 34 free throws in the game.

The Bulls were playing without DeMar DeRozan, but the Pelicans were without Brandon Ingram, who missed his 9th straight game nursing his hamstring injury. 

 Hopefully, he will be back this weekend to finish the homestand out, but this team is learning to win without him, making the team better as a whole when he returns.

The team also appeared to be better with the return of Larry Nance Jr. He played in his first game as a Pelican as he was a part of the trade that also brought CJ McCollum here last month. 

 Nance played 18 minutes, scored 9 points, and grabbed four rebounds. Looking past stats alone, it was the energy he brought on the court. An energy that emits from guys like Nance, Jose, Jaxson Hayes, and lately Trey Murphy III.

Murphy had a thunderous dunk to end the 3rd quarter and give the Pelicans a 1-point lead heading into the 4th.  The dunk brought the boisterous crowd to its feet, and the Pelicans carried that momentum into a huge 4th quarter and a victory.

Devonte' Graham spoke after the game about how big a win this is for the team, "it's good to get a win like this and gain momentum for the big weekend we have ahead." 

The weekend includes two teams the Pelicans are battling for play-in game position with, the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers. Win, lose or draw from the contests this weekend, the experience a young team like the Pelicans will gain will be invaluable as they look to build a bright future here in New Orleans.

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