The New Orleans Pelicans have won their second straight game with a 114-104 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Sunday evening. The matchup marked a homecoming for Pelicans rookie guard Jeremiah Fears, a Chicago native, and with his parents courtside, he put on a show. The rookie guard finished the night tied for a game-high in scoring with 20 points, along with two rebounds, three assists, and two steals on an efficient 7/13 from the field.
This game served as another reminder of just how bright the future is for the Pelicans with Fears at the helm, running the show from the point of attack. Fears was in attack mode all night and was getting whatever he wanted with ease, especially downhill. His quick first step and ability to push the pace in transition remain his strongest traits.
I also felt like in this win, Fears established what may be his go-to shot moving forward. All season long, he has punished teams with the bump one-legged fade, and in this win, he continued to show so much confidence in taking and making that shot. Seeing a rookie late in the shot clock, with his team trailing, confidently go to a one-leg fadeaway makes me confident that this should be a shot we see him take more going forward.
Aside from Fears, this was an overall excellent team win for the Pelicans.
The rest of the team
Trey Murphy III continues to be an efficient assassin from the floor for this team. He recorded his fourth straight game shooting above 57 percent from the field Sunday night, finishing the game 8/14 from the field. Murphy III's incredible shooting resulted in another 20 points—he keeps showing why he is the backbone of this team's offense.
Zion Williamson made his return from injury sooner than expected and played under a minute restriction. Interim head coach James Borrego felt the best way to maximize those minutes was to have him come off the bench. This was an interesting experiment, as it felt like it allowed Williamson to focus on scoring. In the future, I wouldn't hate to see this concept continue to be tested, especially if Z remains on a minute restriction.
Derik Queen, who logged just under 25 minutes in this one, which is a low for him over the team's last seven games, was phenomenal in the first half. His chemistry with Murphy III on cuts, screen-and-rolls, and transition is probably the best on-court chemistry among any tandem on this team. He had six assists in this one, but also five turnovers, as Chicago did a good job forcing bad decisions from him.
Yves Missi logged just 11 minutes but had eight rebounds in that short amount of time. He still needs to play with more control, but his motor is unmatched.
Karlo Matković didn’t see the floor for the first 36 minutes but was ready when his number was called, playing the entire fourth quarter. While he wasn't efficient, shooting 2/5 from the floor, he does give the team a different look at the five, especially in transition, because of his speed and athleticism.