The end of November was supposed to mark a turning point for the Chicago Bulls. As the schedule lightened up, the Bulls were expected to stack wins against easier opponents and gain momentum.

That has not been the case. Chicago got 30-pieced by the Heat on Friday, then struggled to put away a 1-14 Wizards team on Saturday. Against the Pelicans on Monday, the Bulls fell to a New Orleans team that had dropped nine consecutive games and sits at the bottom of the Western Conference.

Chicago's 143-130 loss to the Pelicans was its seventh in the last 10 games. In addition to setting a season-best in scoring, New Orleans held advantages over the Bulls in rebounding (55-33), second-chance points (30-8), points in the paint (78-44) and bench scoring (51-41).

Zion Williamson's 29 points powered the Pelicans to victory. The former No. 1 overall pick did not attempt a single shot from further than six feet from the basket, making eight of his 14 shots. Trey Murphy III and Saddiq Bey combined for 40 points on seven three-pointers.

Ayo Dosunmu chipped in a season-high 28 points behind an 11-of-16 shooting clip. Coby White finished with 24 points, six assists and five rebounds, while Josh Giddey posted 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists of his own.

Now 9-8, the Bulls are tied for ninth in the Eastern Conference. The team was without Nikola Vucevic, Kevin Huerter, Isaac Okoro and Dalen Terry due to injury, but the Pelicans were missing their fair share of talent as well.

Chicago went to work in the paint early, scoring its first eight points at the hoop. Matas Buzelis threw down an off-balance jam over Murphy and later added a corner three, but New Orleans kept pace by knocking down triples. Jose Alvarado connected from deep at the end of the first quarter to notch his team's sixth make on eight attempts.

The Pelicans' 37 points marked their highest-scoring first quarter of the season as they grabbed a seven-point lead. It only got worse for Chicago to start the second.

Billy Donovan's team went cold from the field, shooting just 6-of-20 from the field after a 7-of-10 start. New Orleans dominated the glass to extend its lead to 22 via a 20-5 run.

The return of the Bulls' starters provided a spark, though, fueling a 12-2 run that forced New Orleans to call a timeout. White, Matas Buzelis, Jalen Smith and Giddey each drilled three-pointers over the final minutes to cut Chicago's deficit into single digits, but seven consecutive Williamson points — including a buzzer-beating layup — gave the Pelicans a 74-58 lead at the half.

Chicago managed to make it a nine-point game to open the third. However, the pendulum quickly swung the other way, and New Orleans dominated the paint with a 22-10 margin. The Pelicans matched their season scoring average through just three quarters.

Tre Jones was fouled on a half-court heave and went 3-of-3 at the line, but the Bulls still trailed by 15 points after three. Bey's 14 points in the final quarter closed the book on Chicago's 13-point defeat.

The Bulls will look to bounce back at Charlotte on Friday and Indiana on Saturday.

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