The New Orleans Pelicans could not overcome a sloppy performance in Chicago, snapping their three game winning streak in a loss to the Bulls.
The New Orleans Pelicans had a chance to extend their winning streak to three, going into tonight’s contest with the Chicago Bulls.
Unfortunately, poor shooting and sloppy play on the glass was too much to overcome.
The Bulls completely dominated the rebound battle tonight, finishing with a 63-42 edge on the Pels. Chicago did massive damage on the offensive glass, finishing with a whopping 21 offensive rebounds. Robin Lopez alone had nine against his former team.
With New Orleans shooting 7-23 shooting from behind the arc, things were difficult for the Pelicans all day.
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Anthony Davis put up a great performance once again, with 36 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks. E’Twaun Moore was the shining star off the bench, with 16 points on 6-9 shooting and four three-pointers made.
The Pelicans had no answer for Jimmy Butler, who put up a line of 28 points, eight boards, six assists and four steals. Dwyane Wade helped cap the win for Chicago, with 16 points in the fourth quarter alone.
As we’ve seen over the past 2-3 weeks, Alvin Gentry has gone to a small-ball lineup. This means Anthony Davis manning the Center position, while utilizing a combination of Solomon Hill or Dante Cunningham at the power forward position.
While this has proven to be efficient offensively, it has its limitations on the defensive end, primarily on the glass. Anthony Davis still doesn’t have the girth to bang in the post against bigger centers throughout the game.
Tonight’s game was a prime example of the small-ball lineup not being effective against a much more physical and larger team. The Chicago Bulls got a solid portion of their points on second chance attempts and offensive rebounds. The lack of boxing out proved just as big an issue as their lack of size.
The lack of effort on defense became another problem. There were too many times the Bulls had open lanes straight to the rim. The perimeter defense was porous, as well as paint presence against the likes of Taj Gibson and even Robin Lopez.
Alvin Gentry might look back at bringing Omer Asik into the rotation when opposing teams play big.
Other Observations:
- The Pelicans did shoot the ball inside the three-point line pretty well tonight. New Orleans made 32 of their 61 two-point shots, over 50% on the night. However, their struggles on the glass let Chicago shoot 17 more shots in the game. That was the deciding factor for sure.
- With the road stretch near it’s end, the Pelicans enter their fifth straight game away from home 2-2 in this trip. With only one more game away before returning home, winning the next one is a big one. To take a positive record out of a five-game road trip could turn the tides on the season.
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The New Orleans Pelicans will look to end the road trip on a high note on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. They will head to Indiana to play the Pacers Monday Afternoon. Tip is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. CST.