December 2nd - New Orleans Pelicans @ Chicago Bulls - 11-9

[Pelicanidae]

Chicago for the night!

🏀: vs Chicago Bulls
🕖: 7:00 pm CT
📺: @BallySportsNO
📻: @995WRNO#Pelicans | @SmoothieKing pic.twitter.com/SL5BkcTeee

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) December 2, 2023

We won last night, as expected, against a terrible and shorthanded Spurs team. It wasn't the cleanest of wins, but it was by 15 and we basically never trailed so you can't get too upset in my opinion.

Tonight we're on the road, on the second night of a back to back, and Willie Green says he expects Zion to play tonight - which goes some way to explaining his low minutes last night. If he does play, it will be his first B2B of the season. This would be helpful, as CJ will be out tonight due to the fact that he isn't cleared to fly yet from the collapsed lung.

Trey Murphy's return was fantastic. With 18 points off the bench (only the second time this season a bench player has given us 18) and 40% from 3 along with a huge dunk, he looked a lot like himself after a few early misses from deep. Hopefully he doesn't miss a step and continues that impact tonight.

The Bulls are bad. They are 6-14, are bottom 10 in both offense and defense, and are 2-8 in their last 10. LaVine has pretty much informed the world that he isn't sticking around and is out for this game, and DeRozan continues his campaign of being an individually skilled player who heavily caps his teams ceiling by his playstyle: something that he's been doing since Toronto, and he is questionable for this game. So while we're on the road, we may well be facing an even worse version of the Bulls.

This is the only B2B we currently have scheduled in the month of December. If we can win this, we have a relatively clean schedule for the rest of the month. The Bulls are bottom 3 in rebounding, 29th in assists, 24th in 3pt%, 28th in 2pt%, 26th in FTA, and their most reliably player right now is probably Alex Caruso. Don't get me wrong, Caruso is good, but if he's the guy you're banking on to win every game for you, there is a severe problem.

The Pelicans can win this, but they will have to take it seriously. We've shown time and again that you can lose to anyone if you play without focus and intensity, and there's no room for that on this team anymore. We'll see if the squad can keep the streak going: we are 7-3 in our last 10 games.

[As I See It]

We MUST feed on the bottom feeders.

Fifth straight game where the opponent is missing a top player...perhaps two (remember the outcome of the first Utah game sans Markkanen and Clarkson).

Don't 'fudge' this up, Pels!!!

DEFENSE...DEFENSE...DEFENSE!!

[P_B_&_G]

We absolutely have to contain Ball.

Oh wait, he's injured. Nevermind...

[RobertM320]

So either Zion is not going to play Monday against Sacramento, or peoples' narrative of needing to rest Zion every time we have 3 games in 4 days has fallen apart.

[As I See It]

We absolutely have to contain Ball.

Oh wait, he's injured. Nevermind...

....and Markkanen could have been ours...filling a need that still exists. Unforgivable!!

[Pelicanidae]

So either Zion is not going to play Monday against Sacramento, or peoples' narrative of needing to rest Zion every time we have 3 games in 4 days has fallen apart.

It's not a narrative. It's a clear strategy that multiple teams have employed multiple times for multiple players who have injury histories. That's why every time it comes up, someone - often me - says that whether you believe it's justified or not you have to accept it when it happens. Not because I necessarily agree with it or not, but because it's not worth the 15 complaints when something predictable happens. It's not about whether you actually believe Zion needs it or not, it's about seeing what is actually happening and moving on instead of pouting about it.

If they're stopping it now, then they must have some internal reason for being confident in doing so. It may be a weight related goal, it may be that they just wanted to do it for the first 20 games (this is game 21), it may be that they wanted to wait until everyone was back, whatever. We don't know why they're shifting away from it now. If they are, that's good.

I swear about 30% of NBA fans are just completely unwilling to accept the idea of new information changing previous thoughts.

[Pelicanidae]

Just saw this stat and was mildly surprised, I knew he'd improved but I didn't quite realise how much.

Herb Jones is 52/135 from 3 over his last 50 games played (dating back to January 28th). That is 38.5% from 3 on 2.7 3PAs a game.

He's not been consistent in that time, it's more hot and cold; he's not the guy who will reliably hit 2 a game, he'll have 3 games in a row where he goes 1/4 or something and then have one game where he goes 3/4 and it evens the averages out, but the fact is that over the long haul, Herb has become a reasonably proficient 3pt shooter. Shout out to him. He's at 36.2% so far this year on 3.4 a game.

[RobertM320]

It's not a narrative. It's a clear strategy that multiple teams have employed multiple times for multiple players who have injury histories. That's why every time it comes up, someone - often me - says that whether you believe it's justified or not you have to accept it when it happens. Not because I necessarily agree with it or not, but because it's not worth the 15 complaints when something predictable happens. It's not about whether you actually believe Zion needs it or not, it's about seeing what is actually happening and moving on instead of pouting about it.

If they're stopping it now, then they must have some internal reason for being confident in doing so. It may be a weight related goal, it may be that they just wanted to do it for the first 20 games (this is game 21), it may be that they wanted to wait until everyone was back, whatever. We don't know why they're shifting away from it now. If they are, that's good.

I swear about 30% of NBA fans are just completely unwilling to accept the idea of new information changing previous thoughts.

But you miss my point. Just last week I was told they didn't want to play him 3 games out of 4, when my contention was, let him play Sat vs Jazz when Lauri and Clarkson were both out, and let him rest the Monday game. Just be flexible with WHEN you give him the off days, if an opportunity arises. Now all of a sudden, he's going to play 3 out of 4? Wouldn't have anything to do with CJ being out tonight, would it? That's what I mean by flexibility.

[Pelicanidae]

But you miss my point. Just last week I was told they didn't want to play him 3 games out of 4, when my contention was, let him play Sat vs Jazz when Lauri and Clarkson were both out, and let him rest the Monday game. Just be flexible with WHEN you give him the off days, if an opportunity arises. Now all of a sudden, he's going to play 3 out of 4? Wouldn't have anything to do with CJ being out tonight, would it? That's what I mean by flexibility.

The issue is that if you believe that it's the overloading that causes the problem, then being flexible doesn't work very well. It's the back to back itself that presents the largest risk, not the 3rd game two days later. So you sit the back to back. If they think that's no longer a risk then they can stop doing altogether, and if it is a risk, then they can't really pick and choose - it has to be that middle day.

[Pelicanidae]

Zion Williamson will play tonight in Chicago. His first second night of a b2b this season.

CJ McCollum (rest), Trey Murphy (rest), Matt Ryan (right elbow), Larry Nance Jr. (rib) are out.

Jose Alvarado (right ankle) questionable.

— Christian Clark (@cclark_13) December 2, 2023

[Fedupfan]

Well there goes our shooters. Lol

[As I See It]

Coby White feasts on the Pelicans. With a lifetime 12.7 point average against the league, White has averaged over 20 points a game against the Pelicans over the course of his career (last three games over 25). I'm glad it's Dyson going tonight!!!

DEFENSE...DEFENSE...DEFENSE!!!

[As I See It]

Ten years ago, today, we played the Bulls at their house. They were playing without both Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler that night. The good news is that we won the game (131-128) in three overtimes. Luol Deng led the way for the Bulls with 37 and Eric Gordon had 23 for us.

While I hope we again win tonight...I'm not wanting a repeat.

We have always played down to the level of our opponents; it's nothing new.

[Pelicanidae]

Well there goes our shooters. Lol

But a return to the starting lineup that went 5-1. Bench is hurting but we still have quality players, Zion and BI are there, and the Bulls have no LaVine. Still should be a win imo.

[Pelicanidae]

DeMar DeRozan is available vs. Pelicans, per Donovan.

— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) December 2, 2023

DeMar is playing, so bit of a shame there for us but still. Looking for JV to have another good game, and if BI can get the DeRozan matchup he'll probably have a bit of a bounce back from last night.

[Pelicanidae]

Jose Alvarado (right ankle sprain) is AVAILABLE to play tonight at Chicago

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) December 3, 2023

Jose upgraded from questionable to active.

[As I See It]

DeMar DeRozan is available vs. Pelicans, per Donovan.

— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) December 2, 2023

DeMar is playing, so bit of a shame there for us but still. Looking for JV to have another good game, and if BI can get the DeRozan matchup he'll probably have a bit of a bounce back from last night.

Why do yuu want avoid playing teams at full strength? Curious!!!

[Pelicanidae]

Zion to the FT line. That didn't take long.

[superstar7th]

I wonder if we will have enough shooting to win this one.

[As I See It]

And in a blink of an eye (2:30), Jose is -7.

[djrnno]

One of the best things that has happened lately is that JV has is not letting WG make the boneheaded decision of not playing him more. He's saving WG from himself

[As I See It]

You're right, AD; that was a one on three, successful, fastbreak for the Bulls.

SMH!!!

[Fedupfan]

Just lazy tonight.

[Fedupfan]

I don’t think Jose is even close to what he was before all these injuries. Hope he bounces back, but he looks bad right now.

[As I See It]

Just lazy tonight.

Not just tonight, my friend.