Chicago Bulls: 2 studs, 1 dud, from win over Pels in home opener

A big win for the Chicago Bulls to move their record to 2-0 for the first time since the 2016-17 season saw them top a Zion Williamson-less New Orleans Pelicans in the home opener. The Bulls have now claimed wins over the Detroit Pistons and Pelicans to stay undefeated, even dating back to the start of the preseason slate earlier this month.

For the second time in the past few weeks, second-year head coach Billy Donovan and the Bulls faced a shorthanded Pelicans team. The Bulls faced the Pelicans in the second game of a four-game preseason slate, now winning on both occasions.

This was a big game for the Bulls to prove that they can come out of the gates hot following all of the offseason moves to help bolster the roster. The Bulls struggled offensively out of the gates this season, putting up only 40 points in the regular season opener against the Pistons on Oct. 20 on the road.

Chicago Bulls get a big win over Pelicans after a crazy night from Lonzo Ball against his former team

But the Bulls would recover in time in the second half to eventually nab the 94-88 win over the Pistons in an offensive struggle.

The offense looked to recover for the Bulls in this home opener on the night of Oct. 22 against the Pelicans. Already having 65 points and a double-digit lead over the Pelicans heading into the locker room at halftime, Donovan and the Bulls responded nicely on offense in this game.

A solid close-out for the Bulls in the second half resulted in a win over the Pelicans by the convincing final score of 128-112. This was yet another good effort to keep the Bulls undefeated heading into the back end of back-to-back games this weekend.

Here’s a look into two studs, and one dud, for the Bulls in this 16-point win over the Pelicans in the home opener.