The Chicago Bulls host the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday night in a matchup of teams that just ended their seven-game losing streaks.
Seven Bulls, including all five starters, recorded double figures as Chicago overcame a 13-point second-half deficit to defeat the Charlotte Hornets 129-126 on Friday.
Josh Giddey led the way with 26 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds, while Coby White added 20 and Patrick Williams and Zach Collins both contributed 16 points off the bench.
Chicago shot 56% (52 for 93) from the field and outrebounded the Hornets 44-31. Giddey has further cemented himself as a complete player as he leads the Bulls with 9.4 rebounds and nine assists while pouring in 20.5 points per game. White recently returned to the lineup and is averaging 21.9 points and five assists in eight games.
“We fought all the way to the end,” White said afterward. “They went on a big run in that second half, but we never quit. … Everybody played a part. It was a much-needed win for us.”
The Bulls return home to the United Center, where they have lost three straight and have only won once since a 135-125 victory over the New York Knicks on Halloween.
They’ll face a New Orleans squad that has gotten off to a terrible start after last year’s forgettable 21-61 campaign. The Pelicans lost six straight to open the season and fired coach Willie Green after recording just two wins in 12 games. Interim coach James Borrego has fared no better with a 2-12 mark, and the team is just 1-10 on the road, which includes a current six-game slide away from home.
However, the Pelicans did get into the win column and equaled their season-high point total Thursday with a 143-120 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. Six New Orleans players scored 15 or more points, led by Trey Murphy III with 24 and Bryce McGowens, who went 5-for-5 from beyond the arc and tallied a career-high 23 points to go with seven rebounds.
Jordan Poole, who just back from injury himself, had 22 points and should provide a regular boost off the bench as he is averaging 17.9 in eight games.
“I hated it,” Poole said of missing five weeks. “But I couldn’t do anything about it. I was playing injured in the first seven games, also. It was just good to be back out there … that was the first time in my career that I sat out that many games. I didn’t like it at all.”
Rookies Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen were again productive. Fears had 19 points and seven rebounds, while Queen contributed 17 points and seven assists.
This is the second of three meetings between the teams this season. Oft-injured Zion Williamson, who has played in just 10 games this season, had 29 points, Murphy added 20 and Saddiq Bey chipped in with 20 points and 13 rebounds as the Pelicans knocked off Chicago in New Orleans 143-130 just before Thanksgiving. Williamson has missed the last six games.
Ayo Dosunmu led the Bulls with 28 points, White had 24 points and six assists and Giddey contributed 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists in a losing effort.
