On March 25, Beijing time, the 2021-22 NBA regular season is in full swing. In today's battle of focus, the Pelicans were challenged by the Bulls at home. Prior to this game, the Pelicans were 10th in the West with 30 wins and 42 losses, and the Bulls were 5th in the East with 42 wins and 30 losses.
In the first quarter, the away Bulls blasted 39 points in a single quarter to take an eight-point lead. But after moving into the second quarter, the Pelicans had the upper hand across the board and started the final quarter with a 21-9 run before they saved the win and eventually beat the Bulls 126-109.
The Pelicans had 25 points and six assists, Valanciunas had 16 points and 19 rebounds and Graham had 30 points. The Bulls Vucevic had 16 points and nine rebounds, LaVine had 39 points, three rebounds and three assists, and White had 23 points.
After the game, the Pelicans' record became 31 wins and 42 losses, which was equal to that of the Lakers. With a mutual win-loss relationship, the Pelicans once again overtook the Lakers to rise to the 9th place in the West. The two teams are currently 4.5 wins behind the Clippers and two wins ahead of the Spurs. Given that there is little left in the regular season, the rankings of 9th and 10th will most likely belong to the Pelicans and Lakers, which also means that the two teams will meet in the playoffs.
According to the schedule, the two teams will meet head-on on March 28, when the Pelicans will sit at home. On April 3, the Lakers will play the Pelicans again at home. These two games will most likely determine who will ultimately be the 9th place in the West, and in order to be able to have home advantage in the playoffs, the two teams are bound to compete fiercely.