The Chicago Bulls failed to set a new tone in their season opener against the Pelicans in New Orleans on Wednesday, fumbling a 123-111 loss against a short-handed opponent.
Despite a high-scoring night from Zach LaVine — and another step in a long comeback journey for Lonzo Ball — the Bulls couldn’t take care of the ball long enough to hold off the Pelicans.
Here are five takeaways from the loss.
1. Lonzo Ball takes another step.
Lonzo Ball played his first minutes of regular-season NBA action since Jan. 14, 2022, on Wednesday — and looked comfortable for his entire time on the court.
Ball drained his first 3-pointer of the night, continuing his consistent shooting from the preseason. And there was a return to vintage high-flying action between the point guard and star Zach LaVine, including a soaring alley-oop in the third quarter.
ZO OOP TO ZACH.@CHSN__ | @ZO2_ pic.twitter.com/uyuV6sg3C9
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) October 24, 2024
Ball played 14 minutes in New Orleans, which was the low end of his projected 14- to 16-minute restriction provided by the Bulls medical team. He finished with five points, four assists, two rebounds and one turnover in that stretch.
2. Zach LaVine balances the good and bad.
It’s been a moment since Zach LaVine was comfortable on the court for the Bulls. But he set a high bar of expectation in his first game back in his role as the team’s leader on Wednesday, slinging five 3-pointers in the first half alone. LaVine cooled in the second half — failing to take a single 3-point shot in the third quarter — but he still finished with a team-high 27 points.
LaVine was at the forefront of the team’s ball-handling struggles, giving up a team-high seven turnovers.
“It happens sometimes,” LaVine said. “You’ve got to be aggressive. Obviously we’re not trying to turn the ball over, but I’ve got to do a better job of taking care of it.”
3. Defense starts off on the wrong page — and on the wrong foot.
From the opening possession, the Bulls confirmed all fears of a lack of defensive rigor in this year’s roster. The disconnect began on the opening play. Center Nikola Vučević swung out to blitz a screen at the top of the arc, but the help defense never came, leaving a backdoor pass wide open for the Pelicans to effortlessly pick up their first points of the game.
These errors continued throughout the night as the Pelicans relentlessly attacked from above through lob passes, taking advantage of the Bulls’ severe lack of size around the rim even without Zion Williamson, who sat the game out due to illness. The Bulls eventually switched to a zone to shore up their defensive rotations, but breakdowns continued through the final buzzer.
4. New style, too many errors.
The Bulls want to play faster this season. That goal was reiterated ad nauseam in the preseason, a constant topic of conversation from media day to the final exhibition game. But playing fast comes with a risk — making mistakes at a volume too high to offset.
That was the case in Wednesday’s loss, in which the Bulls coughed up 21 turnovers for 30 points. Former Bull Javonte Green was responsible for a solid third of the Pelicans’ steals, including in the fourth quarter when he tapped away a lethargic pass and outran Coby White to slam down a breakaway dunk.
5. Matas Buzelis makes his NBA debut.
Rookie Matas Buzelis earned his first minutes in a regular-season game on Wednesday, entering during the second quarter. Although coach Billy Donovan said he intended to utilize a 10-player rotation in games with Ball in the lineup, he brought Buzelis off the bench as the 11th man to enter the game.
From his first possession, Buzelis showed his signature fearlessness. His first shot — a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer off a swing pass from Ball — completely whiffed every part of the basket. Buzelis didn’t care. He fired again without a hint of hesitation the next time he got a chance behind the arc. Again, he missed — although this time, he hit the rim.
But the rookie didn’t make much of a mark on the game. He logged only one four-minute rotation in the opening quarter before checking in for garbage time.
“I think we got to help Matas in situations just to try to get his feet wet, get him experience, let him go and play,” Donovan said. “There is a logjam there with Matas and Patrick (Williams) and Julian (Phillips). All three of those guys have done a really good job so there’s going to have to be some sacrifice.”
Buzelis ultimately played fewer minutes than Talen Horton-Tucker, who was the final player to make the 15-man roster. He finished with two rebounds, an assist and a foul after going 0-for-3 from behind the arc.
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