The New Orleans Pelicans have averaged the fewest points of any team in the NBA, leading to one of the worst won-lost records in the league.
But it was difficult to keep track of how many offensive season-highs they set during a 143-130 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Monday night in the Smoothie King Center.
The Pelicans had their highest-scoring first quarter of the season (37), their highest-scoring second-quarter (37) and their highest-scoring third quarter (34), and even though their fourth-quarter total (35) fell five points shy of the standard for the final period, they raced past their previous high for a game (124) midway through the fourth quarter.
“You couldn’t ask for a better team win when you look at the stat sheet,” said interim head coach James Borrego, who got his first victory in the sixth game since he replaced fired Willie Green.
The points were distributed about as evenly as could be reasonably expected. All nine players who got into the game scored and the only one not to score at least 10 points was rookie center Derik Queen, who nonetheless contributed eight points, five rebounds and four assists in less than 17 minutes.
Zion Williamson led the way with 29 points (making 13-of-16 free throws), Saddiq Bey (20 points and 13 rebounds) and Yves Missi (14 points and 14 rebounds) had double-doubles, and Bey scored 14 of his points in the fourth quarter to stymie the Bulls’ comeback attempts.
Trey Murphy III scored 20, Jose Alvarado had 16, Jeremiah Fears had 15, Bryce McGowens had a season-high 11 and Micah Peavy scored 10. Missi, Alvarado, McGowens and Peavy came off the bench to combine for 51 points, 10 more than their Chicago counterparts.
“The whole bench played well,” Murphy said. “They brought a big jump for us.”
The eye-popping offensive performance belied the fact that New Orleans (3-15) entered the game averaging just 108.6 points and had scored just 98 two nights earlier while Williamson was sidelined for a 17-point defeat to the visiting Atlanta Hawks, New Orleans’ ninth consecutive defeat.
“It feels great to get a win; it’s been a long time,” Murphy said 19 days after win No. 2 occurred.
New Orleans, which plays Memphis at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Smoothie King Center, shot 51 percent from the floor and 37.1 percent on 3-pointers, but there was more to the scoring than just marksmanship. The Pelicans had a season-high 19 offensive rebounds (compared to four for the Bulls), leading to a 30-8 edge in second-chance points along with a 78-44 advantage in points in the paint.
“These guys have gone through a lot,” Borrego said. “You want some validation for all the work you put in, and it’s hard to see progress when you’re not getting wins. Tonight is about validation for the work they’ve put in.”
Ayo Dosunmu scored 28 points, Coby White had 24, Josh Giddey had 21, Jalen Smith had 13, Jevon Carter 11, Tre Jones had 10 points and 11 assists and Matas Buzelis scored 10 to lead the Bulls (9-8).
The Pelicans led by 16 points at halftime, but Borrego didn’t lose sight of the fact that third quarters have been problematic for the team this season. He replaced prized rookie lottery picks Fears and Queen to start the second half with Alvarado and Missi, respectively.
“(Alvarado and Missi) gave us some juice in the first half and we were hoping that would carry over,” Borrego said.
The Bulls twice got within eight points early in the third quarter, but New Orleans rebuilt the lead to 22 – matching the season-high it established in the second quarter – before taking a 108-93 advantage into the fourth quarter.
“I think that third quarter was one of the best ones we’ve had all year,” Murphy said.
Chicago crept within eight points in the final two minutes, but couldn’t get any closer.
The score was tied five times and the lead changed hands six times before the Pelicans finished the first quarter with a strong push.
Alvarado came off the bench to score eight points and add six assists, and New Orleans held a 37-30 lead at the end of the period. Williamson and Murphy scored six points each as New Orleans began the second quarter with an 18-3 run on its way to a 74-58 halftime lead.