Zion Williamson Leads Pelicans Past Bulls as Brandon Ingram Exits with Injury

After suffering back-to-back losses to the Milwaukee Bucks and Houston Rockets, the New Orleans Pelicans got back on track Thursday with a 125-119 victory over the Chicago Bulls at United Center. 

Unfortunately, they lost Brandon Ingram in the process. The breakout forward suffered a right ankle sprain that forced him to miss the second half. In his absence, Zion Williamson took over the offense and led the way to a victory in Chicago.

That's now four wins in their last six games for a Pelicans team that fully believes it can secure a playoff spot. The team said as much in holding onto guard JJ Redick at the trade deadline but took things a step further with a quick course correction in Chicago. 

The Bulls didn't make any moves before the NBA trade deadline passed Thursday, likely because they still aren't quite sure what the current roster can do—especially with Lauri Markkanen, Otto Porter Jr. and Wendell Carter Jr. all sidelined until the end of February at the earliest. That meant rolling with a starting lineup of Thaddeus Young, Luke Kornet, Chandler Hutchison, Zach LaVine and Tomas Satoransky to a fourth straight loss as the Bulls try to navigate NBA purgatory. 

Notable Performers

• Zion Williamson, SF, Pelicans: 21 points, four rebounds, two steals
• Derrick Favors, C, Pelicans: eight points, 15 rebounds
• Zach LaVine, PG, Bulls: 22 points, three assists, three rebounds
• Chandler Hutchison, SF, Bulls: 16 points, eight rebounds

Pelicans Offense Hits New Stride

Maybe it's because the Bulls are that bad, or maybe the Pelicans are starting to figure things out together. Either way, the offense by New Orleans on Thursday was breathtaking even without the usual highlights from Williamson. 

New Orleans finished with a season-high 38 assists as five players finished with double-digit points—including Redick, Josh Hart and Nicolo Melli off the bench. Even with just 21 minutes before his ankle forced him out of the game, Ingram tallied 15 points, five assists, three rebounds and two steals. That the Pelicans out-rebounded Chicago 45-40 while shooting 56.3 percent from the field makes the performance even more stunning. 

Williamson was a key factor Thursday. The forward has made himself quite comfortable at United Center, shooting 9-of-11 from the floor without taking a shot outside three feet from the rim.

Depending on how serious Ingram's ankle injury, this certainly feels like a team that's hit a new gear with Williamson fully entrenched in the rotation. 

LaVine Shines, White Shows Up

The Bulls' limitations to this point have been well-documented. The boo-birds were back out at United Center by the third quarter against the Pelicans, and a squad that's seemingly waiting to get healthy to assess what it's made of played as lethargic as any team all season. 

What is worth focusing on then is how well LaVine, Coby White and Adam Mokoka looked throughout the night. LaVine's stat line was typical of what the point guard is capable of, but the Bulls can take solace in the fact the one area he couldn't hit from Thursday was on the right wing from behind the arc (0-of-5). 

White (5-of-15) didn't have the most efficient night from the floor, but his 14 points, nine assists and six rebounds in 31 minutes off the bench are about as positive a takeaway as the Bulls will find. 

Of course, that may be overshadowed by what Mokoka did in five minutes of playing time at the end of the fourth quarter. The rookie from France entered the game with the Bulls down 114-96 and quickly sparked a run all on his own. Mokoka sank all six of his shot attempts—including three from behind the arc—for 15 points and brought Chicago to within two possessions with just seconds remaining. 

It wasn't enough to complete the comeback but should surely earn him some more playing time next game. 

What's Next

The Pelicans will stay in the Midwest, heading down the road to Indianapolis to take on the Pacers on Saturday before home games against Oklahoma City and Portland send them into the All-Star break. The Bulls, meanwhile, leave town for a quick trip to Philadelphia and Washington starting Sunday as the United Center prepares for the NBA's All-Star Weekend beginning February 14.