LaVine, Vučević energize Bulls' offense in returns originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
In his first game following an 11-game absence due to his positive COVID-19 test, Zach LaVine scored 13 points.
That’s 14.5 points below his team-leading scoring average, which ranks seventh in the league.
But LaVine’s return, not to mention Nikola Vučević’s from a two-game absence with a sore hip, energized the Bulls in so many ways. In sweeping the season series from the playoff-bound Hornets with a dominant 120-99 victory, the Bulls looked like a completely different team.
“Felt good,” LaVine said after logging 27 minutes. “Real tired, but it just felt good to play again, man.”
It showed throughout an offensive performance that featured seven Bulls scoring in double figures, including Vučević’s monster night of 29 points and 14 rebounds, and 33 assists. It flashed in a strong defensive performance that limited the Hornets to 42.2 percent shooting and hounded touted rookie LaMelo Ball into a 1-for-10 night.
“Defensively, it almost felt better just chasing people around than offensively,” LaVine said. “I’m getting my timing back. A couple of the threes were short, but I found my rhythm eventually. I didn’t want to go out there and overdo it. And we played a really good overall game.
“I told the guys I’m going to do whatever I can to help. And I’m coming back obviously, but don’t expect me to try to go get 40 the first night. . . . But whatever it takes to win, that’s what I kept telling everybody.”
The Bulls looked different---and better---from the jump. They scored 34 first-quarter points. Six times in the last eight games, they scored 20 points of less in the opening period.
The broke the 100-point barrier for the first time in five games. They scored their most points since April 8.
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Vučević continued his torrid shooting from 3-point range, hitting his first four and sinking five overall, and also helped the Bulls establish a 50-36 edge in points in the paint.
“In order to generate offense in this league, unless you have a great one-on-one player who can do it by himself, you have to get two on the ball to create ball movement. And you generally do that by someone breaking down the defense and driving and forcing rotations. Or you do it by dumping the ball in the post,” coach Billy Donovan said. “Well, when you take your best perimeter player off the floor who is a creator and playmaker in Zach and then you take off a guy like Vooch who not only spreads the floor but you can throw it in the low post and they have to double him sometimes, it gets guys easier catch-and-shoot shots. I think that was one of the challenges when both those guys went out was the creativity. How are we creating shots?”
There were few challenges Thursday night. The Bulls shot 50.5 percent overall and 48.6 percent from 3-point range. Ball movement was sublime. Open shots were bountiful.
“It was huge,” Vučević said of LaVine’s return. “Obviously, we're a much different team with Zach out there, obviously a much better team with him in the lineup. Obviously you know it's gonna take him some time to get back in rhythm and be himself. But just to have him out there he's obviously a big threat on the offensive end. He opens up so much for everybody else, so it's just a great boost mentally for everybody too."
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