Pippen Ain't Easy
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Chicago Bulls vs. New Orleans Pelicans Game Analysis: Jimmy Butler is Back

By Daniel Coughlin

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Chicago and New Orleans got underway a little earlier than usual on Saturday, playing a 4 p.m. game instead of the usual evening start time. Both teams had their best players, too. Jimmy Butler was back in uniform for the Bulls and Anthony Davis was in the lineup for the Pelicans.

The impact was immediate. Davis scored the first basket of the game just a few seconds in. It took longer for Butler and Chicago to get it rolling, but they got on the board and started rolling. Butler had nine points early, 2-for-2 from 3-point range, helping the Bulls run out to a 14-6 lead before New Orleans was forced to take a timeout. The Bulls kept it up, rolling throughout the quarter, but it was mostly Butler who also had four rebounds, three steals and an assist in the opening quarter. He finished the quarter with 13 points.

The first substitutions for Fred Hoiberg were Rajon Rondo and Doug McDermott. A fan sub going in the other direction was E’Twaun Moore.

The quarter didn’t quite end up how Chicago might have liked. They gave up a 9-0 run to the Pelicans to finish the quarter and turned an early eight-point lead into a 22-21 deficit after the first quarter finished.

Moore, the former Bull, had an excellent first shift against his old team, putting up 10 points on 4-for-4 shooting in just five minutes.

Other interesting rotations for Hoiberg happened in the second quarter. Bobby Portis seems to be back in the swing of things out of nowhere – a common player frustration from the sounds of things. Rondo started by shooting 2-for-2 from 3-point range and Cristiano Felicio went to work inside, getting Chicago back out in front, 36-29. Felicio started with six points and five rebounds in his first five minutes of play.

It was a bit surprising that Denzel Valentine didn’t hit the floor for the first time until the second quarter. He’s been showing some signs of life lately, so the inconsistency of when he plays and with what lineup is going to be another challenge for Hoiberg that needs to be resolved. The Bulls continued to push their lead, despite almost everyone struggle to shoot consistently other than Butler, leading 50-38 with less than three minutes to play in the half.

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Chicago rolled into the half by winning the second quarter in a big way, at one point they extended their lead to as much as 14 points. Butler finished the first half with 19 points, six rebounds, four steals and three assists. Easy to see that it’s a good thing when Jimmy’s back in the game. The Bulls also did all the peripheral things right in terms of team stats, not just individual effort. They only committed three turnovers, outrebounded New Orleans and dominated the offensive boards 10-3.

In the third quarter, the Bulls pushed to their largest lead of the game, 15 points, and hovered around that margin for a big chunk of the period. Butler still did good things, but it was more of a back-and-forth battle as both sides failed to make any significant movements. Chicago went even further up in the rebounding advantage on the offensive glass. Taj Gibson and Robin Lopez really stepped up their contributions in the third quarter as the game felt slower, even if it wasn’t.

Lopez also had a strong defensive game early and held his own while combating Pelicans bigs like Davis. McDermott was a shaky player. I don’t believe his brain is anywhere near back to full health. He played suspect defense, which he always does, but his shot came and went. He knocked down some deep looks, bricked others.

By the end of the quarter, the Pelicans edged back into the game, cutting the lead from 10 at halftime to just six points entering the fourth quarter.

The Bulls pushed their lead in the fourth, getting closer to that 10-point cushion they had built during the first half. Dwyane Wade led the way. It was announced before today’s game that Wade be sitting out Sunday’s contest and it was clear that he was aware of that fact, pushing his effort and hitting on a lot of shots, as well as missing a few.

Some of the pace came back for Chicago, creating great looks like a Michael Carter-Williams dunk. There was also a little dust-up between Butler and Dante Cunningham resulting in techs for both players.

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It ended up being a showdown between Davis and Wade, both players taking control for their teams down the stretch. Wade completed an and-one with just 2:21 to play that brought him to 14 points in the quarter and a 102-91 lead for Chicago. Davis responded with a basket. And then Wade came right back at them. Where Davis couldn’t match Wade was in the help he was getting on the offensive glad. The Bulls dominated in that category, 21-6, and it made all the difference.

It was a great night for Wade and Davis, but it was the Chicago Bulls who ended up coming out on top, 107-99.

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