Brandon Ingram pours out 33 as the Pelicans drop the Bulls

Brandon Ingram scored 33 points and CJ McCollum added 23 as the host New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Chicago Bulls 123-111 on Wednesday night in the season opener for both teams.

Dejounte Murray had 14 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, Jordan Hawkins scored 13 points and rookie No. 1 draft choice Yves Missi contributed 12 to help the Pelicans overcome the absence of Zion Williamson, who was suffering from an illness.

Zach LaVine scored 27, Nikola Vucevic had 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 had eight rebounds and six assists.

Lonzo Ball, playing in a regular season game for the first time since January 14, 2022 due to a knee injury that required a series of serious procedures, recorded five points, four assists and two rebounds in 13 minutes.

McCollum scored five points and Ingram four during a 9-0 run that allowed New Orleans to open a 76-66 lead midway through the third quarter.

Chicago got within three points, but the Pelicans' 8-0 victory extended the lead to 11, and Murray's layup gave the Pelicans a 95-83 lead at the end of the third quarter.

The Bulls scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter, but Ingram scored three points early, capping a 12-2 run that gave New Orleans a 15-point lead midway through the quarter.

There were eight lead changes and three ties in the first quarter, the last of which was broken when Hawkins made a three-pointer. This began an 8-0 run that gave New Orleans its largest lead of the season at 25-17.

Giddey's putback layup cut 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 tie the score at 45. McCollum's 3-pointer tied the game before LaVine scored the last eight of his 16 points in the second quarter to help the Bulls tie the score at 45. to open a seven-point game. point lead.

McCollum's 3-pointer capped a 9-1 run that gave the Pelicans a 59-58 halftime lead.

–Field level media