As teams across the Eastern Conference flounder through March, the Chicago Bulls are finding a little rhythm.
The Bulls tallied their third consecutive win Monday with a commanding 121-103 finish over the Indiana Pacers. This marked the 12th home win of the season for the Bulls, who are only 12-22 at the United Center this year.
The Bulls were aided by the absence of Tyrese Haliburton — and some abysmal shooting from the Pacers behind the arc. They missed their first 10 attempts from 3-point range and finished 10-for-40 from long range. The Bulls outscored the Pacers by nearly 20 points in the first half as Indiana’s offense stalled out without their star guard.
With this win, the Bulls have carved out a considerable advantage over the Philadelphia 76ers for 10th place in the East, extending their lead to 4.5 games Monday. Despite being 11 games below .500, the Bulls are on track to qualify for their third straight play-in tournament as they enter the final 17 games of the season.
Here are four takeaways from the win:
1. Nikola Vučević and Patrick Williams returned.
The Bulls regained two crucial frontcourt players Monday as starting center Nikola Vučević and backup forward Patrick Williams returned from injury. Vučević had not played since Feb. 22 after suffering a calf injury and Williams had been sidelined since Feb. 12 after receiving an injection for a knee injury.
Both players were under significant minutes restrictions in their first games back — Williams played only 13 minutes while Vučević made a rare appearance off the bench to log 24 minutes. Vučević said he tried to fight the minutes restriction — which was set at 28 minutes — but was held back by the medical staff.
“It was more weird for me when the starting lineups were being announced,” Vučević said. “Normally I’m on the bench, I have my little routine. Today I was just standing there. I didn’t know what to do.”
Vučević still finished with a double-double after tallying 11 points and 11 rebounds. Williams logged two points and two rebounds.
2. New depth chart at center?
The Bulls always had a depth chart issue to figure out after landing new center Zach Collins in the trade for Zach LaVine at the deadline. At first, it seemed that Collins would become the third-string center, while coach Billy Donovan toyed with the option of playing him in two-big lineups alongside Vučević.
But when Vučević returned for Monday’s game, Jalen Smith became the odd man out. Collins remained a starter, logging seven points, nine rebounds and six assists. Smith was a healthy scratch from the lineup and did not feature at all — even in garbage time.
Donovan still hasn’t settled on how the center position will rotate once Vučević is back in the starting lineup. It’s likely too late in the season to truly experiment with the two-big look. Smith also suffered some instability in playing time after suffering a concussion that held him out for a week. But Collins is moving up in the Bulls depth chart — creating an intriguing competition within this roster for minutes in the post.
3. Josh Giddey exited with a right ankle sprain.
The Bulls lost their leading scorer for the final stretch of Monday’s win. Guard Josh Giddey landed awkwardly on an opponent’s foot with about seven minutes remaining and rolled his right ankle in the process. Giddey immediately limped off the court and into the Bulls locker room and was quickly ruled out for the rest of the game.
Giddey had scored 29 points — in addition to tallying 10 rebounds and four assists — before he exited the game. The guard is on a tear since the All-Star break, averaging 22.4 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists through the last eight games.
Donovan confirmed after the win that Giddey suffered a right ankle sprain, but the team is uncertain how long the guard will be sidelined.
4. Matas Buzelis snapped a double-digit scoring streak.
The rookie season is getting real for Matas Buzelis, who snapped a four-game streak of double-digit scoring while struggling on the offensive end.
Buzelis gave up two turnovers, tossing away a pass to thin air in the first half and allowing himself to be stripped of the ball by Quenton Jackson midway through the fourth quarter. He missed all three of his attempts from 3-point range, extending a brutal stretch of shooting 8-for-38 (21%) from behind the arc through the past eight games.
Despite this poor shooting, Buzelis still managed a few of his signature dunks along with a blocked shot. But the rookie’s up-and-down performances through the past three games reflect the growing pains of learning to function as a crucial member of the starting lineup.
The Chicago Bulls’ 121-103 win over the Indiana Pacers marked the 12th home win of the season at the United Center.
As teams across the Eastern Conference flounder through March, the Chicago Bulls are finding a little rhythm.
The Bulls tallied their third consecutive win Monday with a commanding 121-103 finish over the Indiana Pacers. This marked the 12th home win of the season for the Bulls, who are only 12-22 at the United Center this year.
The Bulls were aided by the absence of Tyrese Haliburton — and some abysmal shooting from the Pacers behind the arc. They missed their first 10 attempts from 3-point range and finished 10-for-40 from long range. The Bulls outscored the Pacers by nearly 20 points in the first half as Indiana’s offense stalled out without their star guard.
With this win, the Bulls have carved out a considerable advantage over the Philadelphia 76ers for 10th place in the East, extending their lead to 4.5 games Monday. Despite being 11 games below .500, the Bulls are on track to qualify for their third straight play-in tournament as they enter the final 17 games of the season.
Here are four takeaways from the win:
1. Nikola Vučević and Patrick Williams returned.
The Bulls regained two crucial frontcourt players Monday as starting center Nikola Vučević and backup forward Patrick Williams returned from injury. Vučević had not played since Feb. 22 after suffering a calf injury and Williams had been sidelined since Feb. 12 after receiving an injection for a knee injury.
Both players were under significant minutes restrictions in their first games back — Williams played only 13 minutes while Vučević made a rare appearance off the bench to log 24 minutes. Vučević said he tried to fight the minutes restriction — which was set at 28 minutes — but was held back by the medical staff.
“It was more weird for me when the starting lineups were being announced,” Vučević said. “Normally I’m on the bench, I have my little routine. Today I was just standing there. I didn’t know what to do.”
Vučević still finished with a double-double after tallying 11 points and 11 rebounds. Williams logged two points and two rebounds.
2. New depth chart at center?
The Bulls always had a depth chart issue to figure out after landing new center Zach Collins in the trade for Zach LaVine at the deadline. At first, it seemed that Collins would become the third-string center, while coach Billy Donovan toyed with the option of playing him in two-big lineups alongside Vučević.
But when Vučević returned for Monday’s game, Jalen Smith became the odd man out. Collins remained a starter, logging seven points, nine rebounds and six assists. Smith was a healthy scratch from the lineup and did not feature at all — even in garbage time.
Donovan still hasn’t settled on how the center position will rotate once Vučević is back in the starting lineup. It’s likely too late in the season to truly experiment with the two-big look. Smith also suffered some instability in playing time after suffering a concussion that held him out for a week. But Collins is moving up in the Bulls depth chart — creating an intriguing competition within this roster for minutes in the post.
3. Josh Giddey exited with a right ankle sprain.
The Bulls lost their leading scorer for the final stretch of Monday’s win. Guard Josh Giddey landed awkwardly on an opponent’s foot with about seven minutes remaining and rolled his right ankle in the process. Giddey immediately limped off the court and into the Bulls locker room and was quickly ruled out for the rest of the game.
Giddey had scored 29 points — in addition to tallying 10 rebounds and four assists — before he exited the game. The guard is on a tear since the All-Star break, averaging 22.4 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists through the last eight games.
Donovan confirmed after the win that Giddey suffered a right ankle sprain, but the team is uncertain how long the guard will be sidelined.
4. Matas Buzelis snapped a double-digit scoring streak.
The rookie season is getting real for Matas Buzelis, who snapped a four-game streak of double-digit scoring while struggling on the offensive end.
Buzelis gave up two turnovers, tossing away a pass to thin air in the first half and allowing himself to be stripped of the ball by Quenton Jackson midway through the fourth quarter. He missed all three of his attempts from 3-point range, extending a brutal stretch of shooting 8-for-38 (21%) from behind the arc through the past eight games.
Despite this poor shooting, Buzelis still managed a few of his signature dunks along with a blocked shot. But the rookie’s up-and-down performances through the past three games reflect the growing pains of learning to function as a crucial member of the starting lineup.
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