The Bulls face the worst-case scenario in their season-opening loss to the Pelicans

NEW ORLEANS – Ayo Dosunmu didn't sugarcoat the Chicago Bulls' season-opening 123-111 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night.

He couldn't do it. No one in the visitors' dressing room could do it.

“This is the worst-case scenario,” Dosunmu said.

Not exactly the reaction Bulls fans want to hear after the first postgame play, but against an undermanned Pelicans team playing without Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy III, the Bulls put together a sloppy offensive performance that was marred by 21 turnovers , which led to 30 Pelicans points.

“It’s really hard to win a game like that,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said.

The turnover margin distorted virtually everything else the Bulls did on Wednesday and prevented them from grabbing what would have been a feel-good road win.

“When you come in and feel like you're going to lose a game and not get beat … it sounds weird, but it kind of felt like it,” Bulls guard Josh Giddey said. “Turnover was obviously a big problem. We have to get this path back down. … I felt like we shot ourselves in the foot way too many times, but we still gave ourselves a chance to win.”

Here are five first impressions from the Bulls' opening game, starting with the turnovers.

The sales problem

With the Bulls determined to play a high-tempo offense this season, turnovers will be something to watch for a season. When the Bulls are at their best, they pick up the pace, see the ball bounce to all five players, fill it up behind the 3-point line and generate free throws.

On the other hand, the alternative will look like what the Bulls did on Wednesday.

Chicago committed five turnovers in the first quarter and had nine turnovers by halftime. Since the Bulls were only one point behind at halftime, they had a difference of 11 points in turnovers. The third quarter was worse. At that point, the Pelicans gained a double-digit lead by turning the Bulls' mistakes into successes. Chicago had seven turnovers in the quarter, which led to 10 Pelicans points. New Orleans outscored the Bulls 36-25 in the quarter.

In the end, the Pelicans had a point differential of 22 points compared to turnovers.

“Turning the ball over is the absolute worst thing we can add to it because we play so fast,” Dosunmu said. “We're running up and down, so now we're turning the ball over and it's just getting worse.”…We can't do that. We just have to worry about the ball.”

Donovan pointed to his team's decision-making on drives.

“We had way too many one-legged guys trying to jump in the air and realizing they had nothing at the rim and trying to find someone late,” Donovan said. “And (the pelicans) are fast and very active with their hands.”

Defensive problems arise immediately

On the game's first possession, the Pelicans found former Bulls backup center Daniel Theis for a wide-open layup. The Bulls had a coverage breakdown that left Theis all alone in the zone. Only 16 seconds passed and the Bulls' biggest concern was obvious.

Chicago's turnovers made its defensive efforts much more difficult, as the Pelicans scored 29 fast-break points and attempted 11 more shots. But there were other defensive problems the Bulls couldn't solve.

New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado drives to the basket against the Bulls on Wednesday night. (Stephen Lew/Imagn Images)

“For every team, there’s a formula you have to use to win,” Donovan said. “We can’t turn the ball over. We can't be dominated like we can with loose balls. I don't think we found out nearly enough. Can we get them all? Probably not. But we need to get at least close to 50/50. And we have to play with a little more physicality because we are undersized in some ways.”

Another problem: fighting through screens.

“We had some game plans for screening,” Donovan said. “There were some things we wanted to change that we didn't change properly, and some things we didn't want to change. … Part of it was (the Pelicans) just putting their head down at anybody and going to the rim. At some point you have to assert yourself.

“I think you’ve seen the end result of the defense on plays that drive the ball into the basket. The problem lies in the location of the screen. We have to be better at the top of the screen.”

Josh Giddey's Bulls debut

When he was introduced as the Bulls' starter, Giddey received warm boos. Pelicans fans booed Giddey every time he touched the ball.

Part of the reaction was certainly due to Giddey and the Oklahoma City Thunder tormenting the Pelicans over the last two seasons. Giddey averaged 12.5 points, five rebounds and 3.3 assists in the Thunder's four-game win over the Pelicans in the first round of last year's playoffs. Two seasons ago, in the play-in tournament between the Thunder and Pelicans, Giddey had 31 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists.

But it's likely Pelicans fans also had their voices raised following Giddey's off-court turmoil last season, which linked him to an alleged relationship with an underage girl. Following an investigation by law enforcement and the NBA, Giddey was not charged.

Many opposing fans have made it a point to taunt Giddey during games. Giddey said he was a little surprised by the reaction.

“Yes and no,” Giddey said. “I'm surprised it's still going the way it was. Some of my teammates asked me about it. You will also talk to me about it. I was just explaining that some cities are different. Apparently this one was pretty loud. And with every touch I definitely heard her. There's not much I can do about it. I've gotten used to it now. I just have to keep playing and do what I can.”

Giddey finished with 14 points on 5 of 11 shooting. He missed his only 3-point attempt and shot 4 of 7 from the free throw line. Giddey added five rebounds and four assists against three turnovers in 30 minutes. His shooting from the perimeter and the free throw line still needs work, but he made some impressive plays by rebounding defensively to be a deterrent and by using his size on the defensive screen.

But dealing with a hostile reaction from a crowd, Giddey said, can be difficult.

“When you get booed every time you touch the ball, intros every time,” he said. “You're on the move, it's not easy and it can take its toll. It's sad to say this, but I'm kind of numb right now. I dealt with it all last season, so I went through it. …It doesn’t affect me anymore. You just have to go out there, play and deal with it.”

When asked if he would ever take on the role of a villain, Giddey seemed uninterested.

“It’s weird being a villain,” Giddey said. “It's not that I talk nonsense and that's why I get booed. I'm being booed for a completely different situation. I won't accept it and be a villain. It is what it is. There's not much I can do about it. I just have to go out there and play and let it happen the way it happens.”

When he returned after a 33-month absence in the team's final two exhibition games, Lonzo Ball downplayed his comeback by saying, “It's just preseason.”

But as Ball said after the team's morning shootaround, “That counts for the record.”

In his first regular season game since January 14, 2022, Ball played 14 minutes and recorded five points, two rebounds and four assists. On his only field goal from inside the arc, Ball saw a gap, attacked the basket and looked like he was going for a dunk. But at the last second he seemed to give up and gently put the ball into the goal.

“I just saw where Theis was,” Ball explained. “He was behind (Nikola Vučević), so I didn't have to do too much. If he had come over I probably would have tried to dunk it.”

On his best pass, Ball made eye contact with Zach LaVine on the wing and threw a precise alley-oop – which LaVine finished with a highlight-reel dunk.

Lonzo Ball: Back like he never left. pic.twitter.com/Pl1Ye9HXcV

– Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) October 24, 2024

“To be honest, it felt pretty similar to the preseason games,” Ball said. “The same shots were there. The same minutes were there. It’s just a matter of making the most of the time I spend out there.”

Ball is doing what he can to make his comeback easier. He plays within himself, taking open shots when available and moving the ball to set up his teammates for points.

“I'm just happy to be on the court, man,” Ball said. “When coach calls my name, I just try to give good minutes. This is it.”

Zach LaVine watch

For all the attention that comes with Ball's comeback, LaVine is enjoying one of his own.

Wednesday was LaVine's first game since Jan. 18. He only competed in 25 competitions last season before undergoing season-ending surgery on his right foot. He's healthy again and in the second quarter, LaVine seemed determined to prove it.

LaVine scored 16 of his team-high 27 points in the second quarter, making his first five 3-point attempts. He made 10 of 17 shots and 5 of 8 3-pointers. LaVine's blot on the stat sheet was his game-high seven turnovers, many of which came via stripes or he simply lost the ball.

“That happens sometimes,” LaVine said. “You have to be aggressive. Of course we’re not trying to turn the ball over, but I need to take better care of it.”

However, LaVine's rating clearly remains. His 16-point explosion? No big deal.

“I got hot,” LaVine said. “I’ve done that many times.”

For the Bulls, LaVine's scoring prowess will be a necessary source of offense. And some nights he'll be good enough to lead the Bulls to victory.

“He scores with the best,” Giddey said. “When he gets that hot, it’s contagious for our team. Guys get energy and we needed that spark. At the beginning of that second (quarter), we let up a little bit and he came in and picked that up and was a real spark for us. When he plays like that, he gets so much attention that other guys can join in.”

(Top photo by Zach LaVine: Stephen Lew / Imagn Images)