Chicago Bulls move to 2-0 following big win in home opener

Make that two wins in as many tries for the Chicago Bulls on the young season after they trounced the Zion Williamson-less New Orleans Pelicans 128-112. The final score is not indicative of how one-sided this game was as the Bulls led by as much as 30 points and never trailed once, though the two teams did tie twice.

It’s certainly a much better feeling than the close game in the season opener.

This marks the first time the team has gotten off to a 2-0 start since 2017 when they began the season 3-0 only to finish 41-41 under Fred Hoiberg.

The 2017 season was also the last time they made the playoffs.

That team, headlined by Jimmy Butler, Dwyane Wade, and Rajon Rondo wasn’t long for Chicago following their first-round exit. But this version of the Bulls looks like it does many things that have staying power.

Zach Lavine and the Chicago Bulls answered the call and beat the New Orleans Pelicans handily

Zach LaVine’s night won’t be talked about enough. It’s a sign of where he is as a player that these kinds of performances have become the expectation. After welcoming the crowd back to the United Center after COVID prevented it last season, he dropped 32 points. That includes 20 points in the second quarter alone.

His efficiency was there in this one as he shot a hair under 58 percent from the floor and went 6-for-9 from outside. The eighth-year man out of UCLA also had six boards and five dimes but had six turnovers.

The big story might be the offensive explosion from DeMar DeRozan. He finished the night with 26 points, six rebounds, and four assists to just one turnover. He shot 45.0 percent from the floor but missed both of his three-point attempts.

Still, it is good to see him attempting them to keep the defense honest.

Lonzo Ball came away with a 17-10-10 triple-double as both he and DeRozan asserted themselves much earlier in this one than in the first game. Ball shot 54.5 percent from the floor and 3-for-8 from downtown. Best of all, he notched three steals as the Bulls are 12th in takeaways.

Chicago had a 54-44 advantage in the paint, were plus-six in the turnover battle, plus-nine in bench scoring, and plus-four on the glass.

Those were all things that needed to be addressed despite their win in the season opener and they were. But it wasn’t all good.

The Bulls allowed the Pels to shoot over 51 percent from beyond the arc. Nikola Vucevic also struggled from the floor but managed to have 10 points, five assists, four rebounds, four steals (to lead the team), and two blocks.

Still, shooting 36.4 percent from the floor and going just 1-of-4 from deep isn’t a recipe for success. He also had four giveaways.

The Bulls are back at it on Saturday against the Detroit Pistons before heading North to face the Toronto Raptors on Monday. That will be their last opponent that failed to make the playoffs last season until Nov 12 against the Steph Curry-led Golden State Warriors.