Brandon Ingram scored 33 points and CJ McCollum added 23 as the host New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Chicago Bulls 123-111 in the season opener for both teams on Wednesday night.
Dejounte Murray had 14 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, Jordan Hawkins scored 13 points and rookie No. 1 draft choice Yves Missi chipped in 12 to help the Pelicans overcome the absence of Zion Williamson, who had an illness.
Zach LaVine scored 27, Nikola Vucevic tallied 21 points and 11 rebounds, Jalen Smith scored 15 points, Josh Giddey had 14 and Coby White added 10 to lead the Bulls. White also notched eight rebounds and six assists.
Lonzo Ball, who played in a regular-season game for the first time since Jan. 14, 2022, because of a knee injury that required a series of major procedures, had five points, four assists and two rebounds in 13 minutes.
McCollum scored five points and Ingram had four during a 9-0 run that enabled New Orleans to open a 76-66 lead midway through the third quarter.
Chicago got back within three points, but the Pelicans’ 8-0 burst pushed the lead to 11, and Murray’s layup gave the Pelicans a 95-83 edge at the end of the third quarter.
The Bulls scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter, but Ingram made 3-pointers to start and complete a 12-2 run that gave New Orleans a 15-point lead midway through the period.
The first quarter featured eight lead changes and three ties, the last of which was broken when Hawkins made a 3-pointer. That started an 8-0 run that gave New Orleans its biggest lead of the period at 25-17.
Giddey’s putback layup trimmed the lead to 29-25 at the end of the quarter. McCollum and Ingram each scored seven points in the period.
LaVine, who had just three points in the first quarter, scored eight to help Chicago pull even at 45. McCollum’s 3-pointer broke the tie before LaVine scored the last eight of his 16 second-quarter points to help the Bulls open a seven-point lead.
McCollum’s 3-pointer capped a 9-1 run that left the Pelicans with a 59-58 halftime lead.
–Field Level Media