After a predictable but still unpleasant loss to the Milwaukee Bucks last game, we head out on the road again, this time to Chicago to face the Bulls. Before I do any analysis or fact-finding, let's just take a quick look at the injury report:
Zion Williamson added to injury report for Chicago game
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) February 5, 2020
Story: https://t.co/S4jQDz8Cxr#Pelicans | @MorrisBartLLC pic.twitter.com/KrqSpRPjTF
As you can see, there is one change: Zion's on it. Now, don't panic: he's listed as questionable with a big toe sprain, so it's not a serious injury and he might still end up playing. But it's something to be aware of. Would really suck if he had to miss a game, but I get it. If there's any lingering pains from anything really, it's best to be exceedingly cautious. Still, questionable isn't out, so he could play.
Anyway, we're taking on the Chicago Bulls. They're 19-33, a little worse than us, and have gone 6-12 since January 1st. So we've been better than them, of late. That said, the wins they've had in 2020 have been against teams like Minnesota and San Antonio; teams who are roughly on our level. So, as always, we can't be arrogant. The team needs to come in this ready to fight for a win.
The Bulls are 27th in offense and 14th in defense. Dunn, Markkanen, Porter, and WCJ are all going to be out for this game, and Dunn/WCJ are big parts of their defense, so expect some drop off there. They're 29th in rebounds, 22nd in assists, 25th in FG%, 25th in 3PT%, 20th in FT%, and they're bottom 10 in both turnovers and fouling. They aren't a great team. This is the kind of game where, if those playoff hopes are to stay alive, we need to pick up the win; winnable road games don't come along that often for us it often seems, and when it's against a sub .500 team, we need to take advantage of that.
Realistically there are only a few things we need to do. Again, the paint needs to be more of a priority; last game the Bucks were designed to stop that, but the Bulls have no such defensive line. We should be getting to the rim with urgency, and trying to exploit their tendency for fouling. We also have to stop the turnovers; the Bulls lead the league in steals, but Dunn is a huge part of that and he won't be playing, so we have to try and keep some discipline and avoid beating ourselves.
Aside from that, it's just all of the usual stuff about ball movement, focus on defense, etc. Let's try and get the W. #WBD.