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Recapping the Chicago Bulls: Nikola Vučević ties a career high with 43 points to help snap a 3-game losing streak

julia poe, chicago tribune
·4 min read
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With 38.6 seconds to play Sunday in the Chicago Bulls’ 132-118 win over the Golden State Warriors, the United Center crowd rumbled with something that sounded like a boo.

But Bulls fans weren’t disgruntled — they were elated to greet center Nikola Vučević with his signature chant as he exited the court with a career-high-tying 43 points.

Voooooooooch.

Vučević went 18-for-31 from the field and 5-for-10 behind the 3-point arc to tie his career best set on Feb. 5, 2021, with the Orlando Magic — against the Bulls.

His scoring helped the Bulls snap a three-game losing streak and win their first game since DeMar DeRozan strained his right quadriceps last week against the Boston Celtics.

The highs

  • Vučević scored 12 points in the first quarter to lead a balanced offense. The Bulls took one more 3-pointer than the Warriors in the quarter, with every Bulls player who entered the game taking at least one. The Bulls shot 6-for-13 from behind the arc in the first, with Patrick Williams and Vučević making a pair apiece.

  • Zach LaVine scored 27 points despite playing through a bruised right (shooting) hand that has caused swelling over one of the knuckles. LaVine made the majority of his baskets on dunks or layups, going 1-for-8 from 3-point range. But his focus on scoring around the rim paid off in a well-balanced combination between him and Vučević.

  • The Bulls capitalized on a rare size advantage to feed Vučević — and also to win second-chance opportunities, in which they outscored the Warriors 14-9. The Bulls often struggle to get offensive rebounds and create second looks on offense, but they were able to win this critical part of the game against the smaller Warriors.

  • Coby White continued to serve as a versatile game-changer off the bench, flexing his improved ballhandling with several nifty behind-the-back moves to dance free of the defense while also sinking both of his 3-point attempts and scoring 15 points. White’s ability to improve his defense and ball movement have made him a valuable piece of the second unit this season, which he showcased against the Warriors.

The lows

  • The Warriors swiftly erased the Bulls’ 15-point first-quarter lead, opening the second quarter with an 11-2 run. Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry defrosted their 3-point shooting as the Warriors hit eight 3s in the second. They scored 42 points in the quarter to end the first half with a 62-59 lead.

  • The Warriors take more 3s than any team in the NBA and the Bulls take the fewest. So it wasn’t any surprise that the Bulls were outscored 63-45 behind the arc. Thompson went 8-for-15 from 3-point range, but Curry was only 3-for-10. The Warriors took 51 3s while the Bulls took 39 — still an increase from their average.

Honoring MLK

The Bulls honored Martin Luther King Jr. Day throughout Sunday’s game ahead of Monday’s national holiday.

Rookie Dalen Terry delivered a short message to fans before the game, and the team played the Black national anthem — “Lift Every Voice and Sing” — before ”The Star-Spangled Banner.” Both teams wore shirts that read, “Now is the time to make justice a reality for all.”

Injury report

The Bulls were missing DeRozan for the third straight game as the All-Star forward recovers from a strained right quad. Javonte Green will be sidelined for at least another week as he recovers from arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.

Where they stand

The Bulls improved to 20-24 to remain 10th in the Eastern Conference.

Off to Paris

The Bulls departed from the United Center to board a flight to Paris for Thursday’s game against the Detroit Pistons. The team will participate in a variety of clinics and outreach events in the days leading up to the game.

Coach Billy Donovan said he was keeping his plans for the eight-hour flight simple: “A lot of film.”

“Personally I kind of like it,” Donovan said. “Your cellphone doesn’t work so you can just focus and watch a lot of film and try to get ready for practice and how we can get better and improve.”

Vučević and LaVine said they would attempt to sleep for as much of the flight as possible, but their soporific methods are slightly different. Vucevic said he would pop a melatonin and read a book; LaVine planned to drink “a lot of wine” — preferably Burgundy.

The entire team voiced excitement to follow in the footsteps of Michael Jordan and the 1997-98 Bulls team that played an exhibition tournament in Paris. Bulls operations chief Artūras Karnišovas played for Greek club Olympiacos in the championship game against the Bulls.

“These are lifetime memories,” Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu said. “A lot of NBA teams can’t say they went to Paris. We’ll soak it all in for sure.”