James Borrego was relieved to finally get a win as New Orleans Pelicans interim coach.

The Pelicans had dropped their first five games since Borrego took over after Willie Green was fired Nov. 15.

The skid ended Monday night with a 143-130 victory over the Chicago Bulls at Smoothie King Center.

“It’s hard to get a win in this league,” Borrego said afterward.

It's even harder when you don’t have your best defensive player, which was the case as Herb Jones missed his second straight game with at least a few more absences on the way.

Jones, a first-team all-defensive team selection two seasons ago, was diagnosed with a mild right calf strain Monday and will be re-evaluated in a week. The game before that, he sat out with back spasms.

Jones is having a down year offensively, averaging

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