The Chicago Bulls headed into an interconference matchup with the New Orleans Pelicans needing urgency, and the night immediately showed why as the Bulls players fell into the same problems Billy Donovan has warned about, with Ayo Dosunmu later recalling those reminders after the 130-143 loss to the Pelicans. The Bulls didn’t just struggle. It repeated every mistake that has plagued its start, even as Donovan tried to push the group toward physicality, discipline, and consistency.
The Pelicans didn’t have to dig deep to find openings. They controlled the glass, beat the Bulls to loose balls, and exposed slow rotations and unfocused possessions. Under the lights, the Bulls’ issues weren’t subtle. They were loud. And they were familiar to anyone who has heard Donovan preach the same points week after week.
Ayo Dosunmu was the only Bulls player to finish with a positive night statistically, the lone player with a non-negative plus-minus. And he sounded like someone who has heard every warning Donovan has delivered.
“Coach is telling us a thousand times to box out,” the Bulls guard said. “On film, we’re going to the glass, not boxing out, just standing around. Coach is telling us to get into the ball. Coach is telling us what we have to do in order to play physical. And we’re doing that sometimes in the game but not doing it the full game. [Donovan is] being completely honest with us. He’s telling us if we don’t do this, we’re going to get these results.”
Then he delivered the line that cut through the Bulls. “We keep saying the stove is hot, and we keep touching the stove.”
A Bulls lesson still unlearned
The Bulls now sit with a loss that feels heavier than the score suggests. The message hasn’t changed. The results haven’t changed. And Billy Donovan knows the clock is ticking on a team that keeps burning itself the same way every night.
The only question left is the one fans keep asking: when will the Bulls finally stop touching the stove?
