A date with the Chicago Bulls is typically just what the New Orleans Pelicans need to get a win.
But not even playing an opponent they have owned in recent years was enough Wednesday night. The Pelicans' losing streak reached five in a row after a 134-118 loss to the Bulls at the United Center.
It was the second straight game the Pelicans have given up at least 130 points.
"Just overall, a lack of pride in physicality on that (defensive) end of the floor," Pelicans interim coach James Borrego said.
Before Wednesday, the Pelicans (8-27) had defeated the Bulls (16-17) the last five times and seven of the last nine.
There was no such luck this time around, even though the Bulls were playing without their top two scorers in Josh Giddey and Coby White. Giddey also leads the team in rebounds and assists.
It didn’t matter. The Pelicans, despite big nights from Zion Williamson and Jordan Poole, didn’t have enough.
Williamson finished with 31 points and seven rebounds. He scored 20 points in the first half. He scored 12 of those points in the second quarter, including a stretch late when he scored nine consecutive points. It came just two nights after he scored a season-high 32 in a loss to the New York Knicks.
Poole came off the bench and scored 26 points. He scored 10 straight points during a stretch in the third quarter and finished four points shy of his season-high 30.
The Pelicans were hoping to close out December with a bang. They showed progress when they went on a five-game winning streak, but they finished the month 5-9. They were a dismal 3-18 at the end of November.
“I think on both sides of the ball, we took jumps,” Borrego said about the team’s play in November. “Moving the needle defensively. Transition defense. Taking care of the paint. We’ve had a stretch of wins when we were much better, then we hit a little lull there. More physicality. More of a mentality of a physical, aggressive team.”
That wasn’t the case Wednesday in the last game of 2025. Eight Bulls scored in double figures, led by Isaac Okoro’s 24 points.
Pels rookie Derik Queen filled up the stat sheet, finishing with nine points, seven rebounds, four assists and a season-high five blocked shots.
Trey Murphy finished with 15 points, but he made just 3 of 10 3-pointers. He’s three 3-pointers away from tying CJ McCollum (692) for the franchise record for 3-pointers. He’ll get a chance to get that record Friday when the Pelicans host the Portland Trail Blazers.