10 observations: Ingram outduels DeRozan, Bulls in fourth originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The fourth quarter of the Chicago Bulls’ Wednesday night home matchup with the New Orleans Pelicans was almost more boxing match than basketball game, with DeMar DeRozan and Brandon Ingram trading haymakers back and forth.
But ultimately, it was the visitors who capitalized on a handful of Bulls mistakes, prevailing 115-111.
Here are 10 observations:
1. Free of Nick Nurse and the Raptors’ persistent double-teams, DeRozan got back to his smooth-scoring self against New Orleans, and did so quickly. In 10 first quarter minutes, he racked up nine points on 4-for-5 shooting, including this thunderous dunk, after scoring nine points on six field goal attempts all night against Toronto on Monday:
By the half, he had 15 points on 7-for-10 shooting. And in the third, he heated up again, scoring 10 points on a barrage of midrange jumpers and free throws to help the Bulls erase an 11-point deficit.
In the fourth quarter, he traded haymakers with Brandon Ingram to the tune of eight points. But he was also party to a few costly mistakes: A turnover on an inbounds pass to CJ McCollum, a missed floater with 25.8 seconds to play and New Orleans ahead 111-109, and fumbling an inbounds pass out of bounds with 18 seconds left and the Pelicans ahead 112-109, leading to game-icing free throws.
2. Ingram, meanwhile, was unconscious down the stretch, scoring 16 points in the frame and 14 in the final five minutes of the game. Most of those buckets were heavily contested pull-up jumpers to which you can only tip the cap as an opponent.
Ingram entered the fourth six points on 2-for-6 shooting, but came alive when it mattered most. So, too, did Zion Williamson, who tallied 11 points in the final frame on a series of forceful rim runs after ending the third quarter with eight points.
3. Of late, Donovan has implored Zach LaVine to hoist more 3-pointers, particularly in catch-and-shoot situations created by off-ball actions or his teammates drawing help and forcing opponents into rotation. The idea is not only to utilize a potent element of LaVine’s scoring package, but also to juice the Bulls’ 3-pointer-averse offense.
LaVine did just that in this one, although he made just three of his 12 attempts. And he slashed to the rim often to finish 5-for-8 in the paint, a positive sign as he acclimates from offseason knee surgery, even if his eventual 23 points came on less than peak efficiency — 9-for-22 shooting.
4. Each team’s bench took turns swinging the momentum of the game.
First, it was the Pelicans, who after the Bulls’ starters jumped out to a 16-6 lead in the first quarter, leveled the score 22-22 entering the second behind seven points and two assists from Jose Alvarado.
Then, the Bulls’ reserves, flanked by LaVine, punched back to take an 11-point lead early in the second. And later, with the help of DeRozan, they erased an 11-point deficit in the third and claimed an 82-79 lead entering the fourth by way of some Goran Dragić magic.
5. That Dragić magic is worth expanding upon, because he nearly took the game over. In the final three minutes of the third quarter, he buried a midrange jumper and an and-one layup in transition, then assisted an alley-oop to Javonte Green that shook the United Center to its foundation. In the opening ticks of the fourth, he served up another lob to Derrick Jones Jr. that resulted in free throws, and splashed another 13-footer.
Dragić ended up playing crucial minutes down the stretch, finishing with 14 points and six assists in a season-high 25 minutes.
6. Patrick Williams began the game with some splendid and versatile defense on the Pelicans’ brightest stars. In the first quarter, he stonewalled Williamson on multiple drives, a far cry from the Pelicans’ wunderkind physically overmatching the third-year forward in these teams’ preseason matchup in October. Later, Williams also blocked an Ingram midrange jumper and bothered him into a badly missed floater on a drive.
Ultimately, it goes in the book as another active defensive outing for Williams, who finished with four blocks and a steal. But Williamson’s outburst in the beginning of the fourth quarter led to Donovan running Alex Caruso in his place in crunch time.
7. Andre Drummond, who sprained his left shoulder on Oct. 28, returned from a six-game absence to post two points and five rebounds in 12 minutes. While there was no minutes limit set entering play, it appears Donovan is easing him back in with shorter stints, turning to smaller frontcourt configurations at various points, including to start the fourth quarter.
8. That lineup, with Derrick Jones Jr. and Patrick Williams the functional center and power forward, got into foul trouble in a hurry, putting the Pelicans in the bonus at the 9:37 mark of the fourth quarter. For the game, New Orleans out-attempted the Bulls 36-18 from the free throw line, which helped compensate from an arid 3-point shooting performance (7-for-27, 25.9 percent).
9. The back-and-forth between Nikola Vučević and Pelicans starting center Jonas Valančiūnas was entertaining to watch throughout. Valančiūnas, aided by a series of acrobatic pump-fakes that bordered on double-dribbles, won the matchup on paper with 21 points and 13 rebounds against Vučević’s 18 points and seven boards. But Vučević did bury two massive triples in the fourth quarter that tied the game 100-100 with 4:04 to play and put the Bulls ahead 103-102 at the 2:46 mark.
10. The Bulls now move to 0-6 in “clutch” games, defined by NBA.com as contests within a five-point margin with five minutes or less to play. Last season, they finished with the third most clutch wins (25) in the league, but this season, are the only team without one.
Next up: Home for the Denver Nuggets on Sunday.
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