Game On: Pelicans @ Bulls

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Published: December 27, 2014

The brutality of the December schedule rolls on. Last night the Pelicans flew to Chicago after defending their home turf against the Defending Champions and get to take on a team on a roll with all its major pieces back from injury. Leading the team is, in my opinion, the best two way wing player in the league.(ignoring Paul George) For those of you not aware of what Jimmy Butler has been doing, he’s been posting 22 points on 14 shots with 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1.5 steals, .6 blocks and 1.5 turnovers. His wing defense is excellent, and in it’s been primarily him – not Pau or Rose, who have helped – who has propelled a typically moribund offense to its current top 5 rating.

Keys to the game:

  • Learn how to defend the three point line.  Yes, this is not likely at this point, but the Bulls shoot an average number of threes and have sharpshooters who can drill them.  If someone has to shoot threes, let it be Butler and Rose – both of whom will take them and are much less dangerous doing that than driving.
  • Good god try to not foul.  The Bulls earn the 2nd highest rate of free throws in the game, with Butler earning 8+ and three other players getting better than 4.  The team is purely mediocre at finishing inside the three point line, turnover rate and offensive rebounding.  If you can limit their free throws, they are a much easier team to stop.
  • Let Jrue be the point of attack.  The Bulls force teams to take a lot of mid-range jumpers from about the elbow.  I’d rather gamble on Jrue taking that than Tyreke if that’s all they have available.

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