Game ID: 22300285
New Orleans Pelicans @ Chicago Bulls
Saturday, December 2, 2023 at 8:00 PM ET
United Center, Chicago, IL
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
CHI 32 21 36 35 124NOP 29 32 21 36 118
CHI vs NOP ScoutingCHI vs NOP Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
CHI availability going into 11/24 · 1 day's restOUT Bitim missed 9 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Terry missed 8 since 11/08, out tonight
BACK Caruso back 11/15 after 2, 26 min since (91% of 29)
CHI availability going into 11/26 · 1 day's restOUT Bitim missed 10 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Terry missed 9 since 11/08, out tonight
CHI availability going into 11/28 · 1 day's restOUT Bitim missed 11 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Terry missed 10 since 11/08, returns tonight: 8 min (66% of 12)
CHI availability going into 11/30 · 1 day's restOUT Bitim missed 12 since 11/06, out tonight
BACK Terry back 11/28 after 10, 8 min since (66% of 12)
CHI availability going into 12/02 · 1 day's restOUT Bitim missed 13 since 11/06, out tonight
BACK Terry back 11/28 after 10, 6 min since (53% of 12)
CHI availability going into 12/06 · 3 days' restOUT LaVine missed 2 since 11/30, out tonight
OUT Bitim missed 14 since 11/06, out tonight
BACK Terry back 11/28 after 10, 6 min since (53% of 12)
CHI availability going into 12/08 · 1 day's restOUT LaVine missed 3 since 11/30, out tonight
OUT Bitim missed 15 since 11/06, out tonight
BACK Terry back 11/28 after 10, 5 min since (43% of 12)
CHI availability going into 12/11 · 2 days' restOUT LaVine missed 4 since 11/30, out tonight
OUT Bitim missed 16 since 11/06, out tonight
BACK Terry back 11/28 after 10, 5 min since (43% of 12)
CHI availability going into 12/12 · back-to-backOUT LaVine missed 5 since 11/30, out tonight
OUT Bitim missed 17 since 11/06, out tonight
NEW Williams 27 to 34 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 11/25 · back-to-backOUT McCollum missed 10 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Ryan missed 3 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK Nance Jr. back 11/22 after 4, 16 min since (82% of 20)
BACK Alvarado back 11/20 after 2, 16 min since (90% of 18)
NEW Daniels 22 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Hawkins 17 to 27 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 11/27 · 1 day's restOUT McCollum missed 11 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Ryan missed 4 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK Nance Jr. back 11/22 after 4, 15 min since (74% of 20)
BACK Alvarado back 11/20 after 2, 18 min since (99% of 18)
NEW Daniels 22 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Hawkins 17 to 29 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 11/29 · 1 day's restOUT McCollum missed 12 since 11/06, returns tonight: 28 min (85% of 33)
OUT Ryan missed 5 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK Nance Jr. back 11/22 after 4, 13 min since (67% of 20)
BACK Alvarado back 11/20 after 2, 17 min since (95% of 18)
NEW Daniels 22 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Marshall 19 to 24 min over the last 5
NEW Hawkins 17 to 27 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 12/01 · 1 day's restOUT Ryan missed 6 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK McCollum back 11/29 after 12, 28 min since (85% of 33)
BACK Nance Jr. back 11/22 after 4, 13 min since (67% of 20)
NEW Valančiūnas 23 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Daniels 22 to 27 min over the last 5
NEW Hawkins 17 to 26 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 12/02 · back-to-backOUT Nance Jr. missed 2 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Ryan missed 7 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK McCollum back 11/29 after 12, 33 min since (101% of 33)
NEW Valančiūnas 23 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Hawkins 17 to 25 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 12/04 · 1 day's restOUT Nance Jr. missed 3 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Ryan missed 8 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK McCollum back 11/29 after 12, 33 min since (101% of 33)
NEW Valančiūnas 23 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Hawkins 17 to 26 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 12/07 · 2 days' restOUT Nance Jr. missed 4 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Ryan missed 9 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK McCollum back 11/29 after 12, 34 min since (103% of 33)
NEW Valančiūnas 23 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Hawkins 17 to 22 min over the last 4
NOP availability going into 12/11 · 3 days' restOUT Nance Jr. missed 5 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Ryan missed 10 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK McCollum back 11/29 after 12, 32 min since (97% of 33)
NEW Valančiūnas 23 to 30 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 12/13 · 1 day's restOUT Nance Jr. missed 6 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Ryan missed 11 since 11/20, out tonight
NEW Valančiūnas 23 to 31 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Chicago comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 118, shooting 45 percent and 38 from three, 20 free throws a game; DeRozan at 22 and White at 20 a game. One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 109, shooting 49 percent and 34 from three, 27 free throws a game; Williamson at 26 and Ingram at 22 a game. Without Nance Jr. (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: New Orleans wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where New Orleans has been plus-4 a night and Chicago minus-3 and the defense, New Orleans allowing 109 a night to Chicago's 118. Call it New Orleans 113, Chicago 111, Chicago keeping it close.
11/24 @ TOR 108-121 — CHI notes
CHI lost 108-121. CHI shot 51% (42 of 82) to TOR's 53%, 12 of 27 from three, and got to the line 19 times to TOR's 27. LaVine led with 36 (16 of 23, 4 of 8 from three); DeRozan added 19, White 14. Q4 was theirs, 31-28, the deficit cut from 16 to 13, but the other 3 periods went 93-77 against them. DeRozan's -31 in 39 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/26 @ BKN 109-118 — CHI notes
CHI lost 109-118. CHI shot 48% (40 of 83) to BKN's 49%, 12 of 32 from three, and went to the line 22 times to BKN's 15 — 17 points from the stripe to their 11. DeRozan led with 27 (11 of 22, 2 of 4 from three); White added 23, LaVine 20. Q1 was theirs, 36-19, but the other 3 periods went 99-73 against them. They led by as many as 21. Craig's -25 in 20 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/28 @ BOS 97-124 — CHI notes
CHI lost 97-124. CHI shot 43% (39 of 90) to BOS's 52%, 9 of 28 from three, and went to the line 18 times to BOS's 12 — 10 points from the stripe to their 9. CHI turned it over 8 times to BOS's 16. The glass went 37-52 against them. C. White led with 19 (7 of 12, 3 of 5 from three); DeRozan added 19, Williams 14. Q4 was theirs, 29-27, the deficit cut from 29 to 27, but the other 3 periods went 97-68 against them. Vučević's -26 in 25 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/30 vs MIL 120-113 — CHI notes
CHI won 120-113 in 1 overtime. CHI shot 46% (45 of 98) to MIL's 45%, 13 of 37 from three, and went to the line 22 times to MIL's 13 — 17 points from the stripe to their 9. Vučević led with 29 (11 of 21, 2 of 4 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); White added 23, Dosunmu 14. The hinge was OT1, 14-7: from level to 7 ahead. CHI trailed 49-55 at the half and won the second half 71-58. Carter was the night's best plus/minus at +22.
12/02 vs NOP 124-118 — CHI notes
CHI won 124-118. CHI shot 55% (48 of 88) to NOP's 50%, 17 of 40 from three, and got to the line 15 times to NOP's 35. White led with 31 (10 of 17, 8 of 13 from three); DeRozan added 24, Dosunmu 15. The hinge was Q3, 36-21: CHI came in trailing by 8 and left it ahead by 7. CHI trailed 53-61 at the half and won the second half 71-57. Craig was the night's best plus/minus at +16.
12/06 vs CHA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Chicago comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 119, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 19 free throws a game; DeRozan at 22 and White at 22 a game. Without LaVine (2 straight). 3 days' rest. Charlotte comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 122, shooting 48 percent and 47 from three, 18 free throws a game; Rozier at 23 and Bridges at 23 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Ball (3 straight), Maledon (2 straight). 3 days' rest.
So: Chicago wins, and the game turns on the arc, Charlotte at 47 percent from three to Chicago's 38 and the glass, where Chicago has been minus-1 a night and Charlotte minus-7. Call it Chicago 117, Charlotte 114, Charlotte keeping it close.
12/08 @ SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 122, shooting 45 percent and 34 from three, 19 free throws a game; Vassell at 21 and Wembanyama at 19 a game. That is 5 straight losses. One day's rest. Chicago comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 115, shooting 47 percent and 39 from three, 21 free throws a game; DeRozan at 25 and White at 23 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without LaVine (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Chicago wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Chicago allowing 115 a night to San Antonio's 122 and the arc, Chicago at 39 percent from three to San Antonio's 34. Call it Chicago 115, San Antonio 114, San Antonio keeping it close.
12/11 @ MIL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Milwaukee comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 128 a night and allowing 123, shooting 52 percent and 42 from three, 20 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 33 and Lillard at 25 a game. Without Crowder (13 straight), Connaughton (4 straight). 3 days' rest. Chicago comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 113, shooting 46 percent and 41 from three, 22 free throws a game; White at 23 and DeRozan at 23 a game. That is 4 straight wins. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without LaVine (4 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Milwaukee wins, and the game turns on the defense, Chicago allowing 113 a night to Milwaukee's 123 and the glass, where Chicago has been plus-4 a night and Milwaukee plus-0. Call it Milwaukee 120, Chicago 115.
12/12 vs DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Chicago comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 115, shooting 46 percent and 43 from three, 23 free throws a game; DeRozan at 28 and White at 26 a game. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Without LaVine (5 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Denver comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 116, shooting 49 percent and 36 from three, 19 free throws a game; Jokić at 25 and Murray at 24 a game. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Chicago wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Chicago has been plus-8 a night and Denver minus-1 and the arc, Chicago at 43 percent from three to Denver's 36. Call it Chicago 116, Denver 113, Denver keeping it close.
11/25 @ UTA 100-105 — NOP notes
NOP lost 100-105. NOP shot 42% (39 of 93) to UTA's 44%, 11 of 36 from three. NOP turned it over 13 times to UTA's 23. The glass went 42-52 against them. Ingram led with 26 (10 of 22, 1 of 4 from three, 5 of 8 at the line); Hawkins added 25, Jones 13. Q1 was theirs, 29-22, but the other 3 periods went 83-71 against them. They led by as many as 13. Daniels's -18 in 34 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/27 @ UTA 112-114 — NOP notes
NOP lost 112-114. NOP shot 50% (44 of 88) to UTA's 42%, 7 of 22 from three. Williamson led with 26 (9 of 16, 7 of 9 at the line); Ingram added 25, Valančiūnas 14. Q2 was theirs, 31-25, the deficit cut from 8 to 2, but the other 3 periods went 89-81 against them. Jones's -10 in 32 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/29 vs PHI 124-114 — NOP notes
NOP won 124-114. NOP shot 54% (42 of 78) to PHI's 52%, 10 of 30 from three, and went to the line 34 times to PHI's 18 — 30 points from the stripe to their 16. The glass went 40-30 for them. Williamson led with 33 (11 of 12, 11 of 12 at the line); McCollum added 20, Valančiūnas 19. The hinge was Q1, 39-24: from level to 15 ahead, and the lead reached 29. McCollum was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
12/01 vs SAS 121-106 — NOP notes
NOP won 121-106. NOP shot 49% (42 of 85) to SAS's 46%, 10 of 31 from three, and went to the line 29 times to SAS's 17 — 27 points from the stripe to their 14. NOP turned it over 11 times to SAS's 19. Valančiūnas led with 24 (9 of 12, 6 of 7 at the line); McCollum added 19, Murphy III 18. The hinge was Q4, 32-25: a lead of 8 became 15. McCollum was the night's best plus/minus at +16.
12/02 @ CHI 118-124 — NOP notes
NOP lost 118-124. NOP shot 50% (41 of 82) to CHI's 55%, 8 of 25 from three, and went to the line 35 times to CHI's 15 — 28 points from the stripe to their 11. Williamson led with 27 (10 of 15, 7 of 9 at the line); Ingram added 23, Jones 17. Q2 was theirs, 32-21, turning a 3-point deficit into a 8-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 103-86 against them. They led by as many as 10. Zeller's -17 in 12 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/04 @ SAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Sacramento comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 120, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 26 free throws a game; Fox at 31 and Monk at 18 a game. One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 113, shooting 49 percent and 32 from three, 28 free throws a game; Williamson at 24 and Ingram at 21 a game. Without Nance Jr. (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Sacramento wins, and the game turns on the arc, Sacramento at 38 percent from three to New Orleans's 32 and the defense, New Orleans allowing 113 a night to Sacramento's 120. Call it Sacramento 117, New Orleans 115, New Orleans keeping it close.
12/07 @ LAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 116, shooting 45 percent and 31 from three, 27 free throws a game; Davis at 26 and James at 22 a game. Without Vincent (18 straight). One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 115, shooting 51 percent and 35 from three, 29 free throws a game; Williamson at 22 and Ingram at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Nance Jr. (4 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: New Orleans wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where New Orleans has been plus-4 a night and the Lakers minus-4 and the arc, New Orleans at 35 percent from three to the Lakers' 31. Call it New Orleans 115, the Lakers 114, the Lakers keeping it close.
12/11 vs MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 119, shooting 48 percent and 33 from three, 28 free throws a game; Williamson at 19 and Ingram at 18 a game. Without Nance Jr. (5 straight). 3 days' rest. Minnesota comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 101, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 24 free throws a game; Towns at 22 and Gobert at 18 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 9 a night. Without McDaniels (8 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Minnesota wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Minnesota allowing 101 a night to New Orleans's 119 and the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-9 a night and New Orleans minus-0. Call it Minnesota 113, New Orleans 110, New Orleans keeping it close.
12/13 @ WAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Washington comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 134, shooting 48 percent and 34 from three, 25 free throws a game; Kuzma at 21 and Poole at 15 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 9 a night. Without Shamet (3 straight). One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 117, shooting 47 percent and 34 from three, 29 free throws a game; Williamson at 20 and Ingram at 19 a game. Without Nance Jr. (6 straight). One day's rest.
So: New Orleans wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, New Orleans allowing 117 a night to Washington's 134 and the glass, where New Orleans has been minus-2 a night and Washington minus-9. Call it New Orleans 121, Washington 116.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
NOPBI B. Ingram
CZ C. Zeller
DD D. Daniels
HJ H. Jones
JA J. Alvarado
JH J. Hawkins
JV J. Valančiūnas
NM N. Marshall
VA Valanciunas
ZW Z. Williamson
CHIAC A. Caruso
AD A. Dosunmu
AD A. Drummond
CW C. White
DD D. DeRozan
JC J. Carter
JP J. Phillips
NV N. Vučević
PW P. Williams
TC T. Craig
VU Vucevic
NOP/CHI the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
White scores season-high 31 as Bulls beat Pelicans 124-118
CHICAGO -- — Coby White scored a season-high 31 points, DeMar DeRozan added 24 points and 10 assists, and the Chicago Bulls beat the New Orleans Pelicans 124-118 on Saturday night.
DeRozan missed the previous game with a left ankle sprain but took charge of a Bulls team missing Zach LaVine , helping them turn around the game in the third quarter en route to their second straight victory. White helped Chicago put it away with an alley-oop to Patrick Williams for a six-point lead with 20 seconds left.
“As long as I threw it up high enough that (Jonas) Valanciunas couldn’t get it, I knew that Pat is so athletic and bouncy and springy that he could go get it,” White said. “That’s becoming his thing: ending the game with monster dunks.”
Torrey Craig and Ayo Dosunmu each scored 15 points off the bench for the Bulls, combining to hit four of the team’s 17 3-pointers. Williams added 14 points along with a pair of blocks.
Troubled by a long history of injuries, Zion Williamson played on back-to-back nights for the first time all season, after resting for three previous opportunities this year. Williamson scored eight of his team-high 27 points in the final three minutes of the second quarter. The scoring flurry helped the Pelicans take a 61-53 lead to halftime, but the Bulls outscored the Pelicans 36-21 in the third quarter to erase the deficit.
“Sometimes you’ve just got to do it until you get it right,” DeRozan said of the Bulls' improved offensive rhythm the last two games. “We’ve had moments, periods of quarters, halves where we did it. Now we’ve been putting together a full game with it. That’s how we’ve got to play if we want to keep putting up wins.”
Brandon Ingram scored 23 points for the Pelicans, who rested both CJ McCollum and Trey Murphy III while playing their second game in as many nights. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Pelicans ahead of their In-season Tournament quarterfinal in Sacramento on Monday.
“Our margin for error is smaller when you have guys not available tonight, so we just have to learn from that,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “We have to be better with our execution on both ends of the floor.”
The Pelicans held opponents to the lowest 3-point shooting percentage in the NBA last season and entered Saturday night once again as best in the league this year. Yet a Bulls team missing its most proven perimeter shooter in LaVine hit 17 of 40 3-point attempts, with White making a season-high eight 3-pointers.
“I was getting in trouble a lot for not taking them,” White said. “Everybody from the staff, from my teammates, to the front office, whoever, was telling me don’t pass up any shots.”
Bulls guard Alex Caruso left the game shortly before halftime and did not return due to a left toe injury. Caruso has missed three games earlier this season due to his left toe. LaVine missed his second straight game with right foot discomfort, and the team announced on Friday that the two-time All-Star is expected to miss another week of action.
“It’s the same thing with his toe that he had last time; he re-aggravated it,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said of Caruso’s injury. “I really do not know how bad it is, if he’ll miss any time. It certainly was hurting him enough that he couldn’t play in the second half.”
UP NEXT
Pelicans: At Sacramento on Monday night for an in-season tournament quarterfinal