6 takeaways as the Chicago Bulls lose by 6 points to a versatile Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans

The Chicago Bulls ran out of gas a quarter mile from the finish line on Tuesday.

The Bulls had cut a 13-point New Orleans Pelicans lead down to four points in less than two minutes. Every ounce of momentum in the building was behind the home team. And with 14 seconds left, the Bulls had the ball exactly where they wanted it — swinging into the corner to give Coby White an open look behind the arc.

But while ideal, that appearance was not enough. White missed. Lonzo Ball grabbed the rebound only to throw the ball away. And even when the Bulls got back on the court to force a fumble, it was already clear – there just wasn’t enough time to steal the game back.

The final moments of the 119-113 loss were filled with the slapstick fatness expected of a Tuesday night game between two sub-.500 teams. Zion Williamson gave up an over-and-back turnover after calling for a pass from the wrong side, sparking a streak of four combined turnovers in the final 76 seconds of play.

Neither team had the game under control in the final 30 seconds of regulation. But the Bulls simply couldn’t land a final shot, falling two possessions short of making the comeback.

“We were close to maybe having a little miracle happen,” guard Zach LaVine said after the loss. “It might not be pretty, but sometimes you have to win ugly games. Today was an uglier game. We just weren’t able to pull it out.”

Here are six takeaways from the loss:

1. Zion Williamson showcased versatility.

The Pelicans only played Zion Williamson for 24 minutes on Tuesday – but the big man made an impression in the condensed outing. Williamson asserted every aspect of his physicality in the win, knocking down White’s 3-pointer attempt to close the first half and running through every defender trying to slow his way to the rim.

While Williamson shot 10-for-14 from the floor to finish with 21 points, his passing was the most prominent feature of his offensive output on Tuesday. Williamson tallied nine assists as he drew defenders only to get the ball out and connected with Jose Alvarado for two key 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.

“That guy is a force,” LaVine said. “If he goes left, you know you can’t stop it. He overpowers guys. But it’s his unselfishness — because he had it going. He could easily just shoot a turnaround, shoot a little jump hook, but he would invite the double team, wait for the rotations and hit the right guy.”

2. Nikola Vučević started out hot.

In a battle for the bigs, center Nikola Vučević asserted himself early as the main source of offense for the Bulls. Vučević scored in double figures at the end of the first quarter and scored 13 points in the opening frame. But that dominance didn’t last long as the Bulls struggled to find Vučević down the stretch, holding him to just one shot attempt in the fourth quarter.

The Bulls experimented with a two-big lineup in the second half, playing Vučević with Jalen Smith for their first meaningful rotations together of the season. The pair had logged just 17 possessions on the field together before Tuesday. While the added length helped the Bulls offset the disadvantages created by the Pelicans’ crossmatching, it bogged down the offense as neither big managed to assert themselves in the paint.

3. Zach LaVine took the first half off.

After a six-game stretch of scoring at least 30 points per game, star guard Zach LaVine took a backwards approach to the first half of Tuesday’s loss. LaVine missed his first six shots and finally scored on a putback dunk with 1:12 left in the first half. He finished the first half with just two points on 1-for-7 shooting.

LaVine got right back into gear in the second half, firing a pair of 3-pointers and rattling off 13 points in the third quarter. He finished the game with a team-high 25 points while shooting 4-for-6 from 3-point range, registering another efficient shooting night. But that slow start ultimately resulted in the end of his streak of consistent 30-point scoring.

Photos: New Orleans Pelicans 119, Chicago Bulls 113

4. The officiating crew went down by one man.

The difficulty of the game was heightened after referee Leon Wood left in the first half with a hamstring injury. Karl Lane and Kevin Cutler continued as a two-man crew for the rest of the game.

Coach Billy Donovan said both officials apologized throughout the second half for being obscured during certain plays, leading to missed calls for both teams. LaVine noted after the game that New Orleans forward Trey Murphy took as many free throws (12) as the entire Bulls roster.

“Officiating an NBA game with two referees is very difficult — that’s why they went to three,” Donovan said.

5. Lonzo Ball showed confidence in his 3-point shot.

After playing through discomfort in the weeks since returning from a sprained wrist, Lonzo Ball is shooting with a newfound confidence from behind the 3-point arc after recording his third straight game with at least two 3-pointers.

Ball sank three shots from behind the arc in Tuesday’s loss, chased his 3-point shot and shot with a quickness that prevented defenders from closing out. He’s now shooting 12-for-23 from behind the arc over the past three games, a stretch that reflects improvements in his shooting wrist. That sharp shooting from Ball was crucial for the Bulls, who shot just 14-for-43 from 3-point range against the Pelicans.

Ball will not play in Wednesday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks on a precautionary basis. The guard is unlikely to play in a back-to-back before the All-Star break.

6. The Bulls blew the first game off an advantageous stretch.

Tuesday marked the first of a four-game stretch of winnable games for the Bulls, who will host the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday and the Charlotte Hornets on Friday before heading to the Portland Trailblazers on Sunday. The Bulls have one of the easiest remaining games in the league with an average opponent record of .486.

This is favorable for the Bulls, who are still two games ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers to hold on to the final spot in play-in contention in the Eastern Conference.