LaVine and Vucevic return in win over Hornets

David Banks - USA Today Sports

by Dustin Riese - Senior Writer - Sat Jan 06 10:30:08 GMT-05:00 2024

CHICAGO - At some point, you knew the Chicago Bulls (16-21) would be faced with some tough lineup decisions, and that came to full surface against the Charlotte Hornets (8-25) on Friday. With Zach Lavine returning for the first time since late November and Nikola Vucevic back from his groin injury, two of the Bulls Big Three were back in action, but their role was going to come into question.

Ever since the injury to Lavine, the Bulls have been playing their best basketball of the season, and a lot of their fans have wondered if he should even return this season. Vucevic was a welcomed sight, as the Bulls were missing his size and ability to give them durable minutes. Even in their return, Billy Donovan made it a point that they wouldn't start and would be on a minute restriction for a little while.

Any time you have one player as good as them coming off the bench, you're in good shape, but to have two players that good off the bench makes this Bulls team deeper and better than ever. In what could be the new-look lineup for the Bulls for the foreseeable future, the Bulls outscored the Hornets in three of the four quarters, including a 30-22 fourth quarter to pull away for the 104-91 victory.

With the starting lineup remaining unchanged, Coby White continued to lead the way, proving his incredible December wasn't a fluke. White led the Bulls with 22 points and 10 assists as his ability to score and play the PG position the way it is supposed to be played continues to be a blessing for the Bulls while they wait for Lonzo Ball to potentially return.

Joining White in the Bulls' starting lineup was DeMar DeRozan, who continues to take on the leadership role the Bulls have become accustomed to. He may not have had his best day scoring-wise, but with 17 points and six assists, he did more than enough to contribute to the offense. Chicago also received 12 points from Ayo Dosunmu, who filled in for Alex Caruso, as the Bulls had three starters crack the double-figure plateau.

While those were the only starters hitting double figures, the Bulls' bench benefitted the most from Lavine and Vucevic as they picked up the slack, with Caruso and Dosnumu not being able to contribute. Lavine played more minutes than anyone thought, with 30, and with 15 points on 6-11 shooting, it looks like that foot is ok. Vucevic, on the other hand, was a bit rusty early on but still finished with 11 points and seven rebounds to give the Bulls bench an excellent post presence.

How long Donovan will keep either of those guys on the bench is still being determined, but should they continue to play, it is hard to imagine a scenario where he tweaks things too much. On a side note, Dalen Terry started his first career as Patrick Williams was also unavailable for the game. Terry didn't score a ton, finishing with eight points, but he did many things well to earn more trust.

It's no secret that the Hornets have been struggling this season, but without their best player in LaMelo Ball you can see why as the offense has took a significant hit. Miles Bridges has stepped it up in his absence, but it will take more than him to get this team back on track. Bridges was at it again Friday, leading all scorers with 28 points and playing 42 minutes in the loss.

He was the only one on the team with more than 20 points, but the Hornets did have two more players from the starting lineup land in double figures, with Terry Rozier finishing with 15 points and seven assists and Cody Martin adding 13. Charlotte also saw Nick Smith Jr come up huge with 10 points off the bench, but like the Bulls, they were missing some key pieces that could have helped this team.

Ball was the most important player, but Charlotte was down their big man Mark Williams and F Gordon Hayward. Had either of these guys played, the result could've been different, but the Bulls will take it as they secured their first win of 2024. These teams will meet again on Monday for the second game of a back-to-back in Charlotte.

G-LEAGUE RECAP: STOCKTON TAKES DOWN WINDY CITY TO KEEP BULLS WINLESS

The second half of the Windy City Bulls (0-4) season has yet to go as planned, as they have yet to win a game. Even with Adama Sanogo returning to the lineup after spending time with Chicago, it wasn't enough as Stockton (3-0) came into town to pick up the 114-104 win.

Sanogo's presence was immediately felt as he returned to doing what he does best, which is dominating the G-League. Sanogo led the Bulls with 23 points and picked up 12 boards as he continues to show he should be on the NBA roster instead of the G-League. Sanogo wasn't alone in having a solid game, with Onurlap Bitim coming through with 19 points for one of his better games this season.

Signed out of Turkey on a two-way deal, Bitim has always been known for his shooting abilities, but after struggling to find consistency for the better part of two months, many fans forgot about him. Quinten Jackson continues to play well with 15 points, with Henri Drell adding 13 points to give the Bulls four starters in double figures.

While the starting lineup played well, the bench lacked the same energy apart from Chris Clemons and his 15 points. Whether in the starting lineup or coming off the bench, Clemons has provided the Bulls with plenty of energy and has been the only player capable of hitting shots consistently from distance.

Whatever the Kings have been doing to start the second half of the season, it's working as they remain unbeaten. Anytime you have eight players land in double figures, including all five of your starters, it does make life easier, as the Kings had more than enough scoring to go around. Jordan Ford had the best game, leading all scorers with 27 points on a very efficient night shooting.

Joining Ford was Mason Jones and his 16 points, Colby Jones with 13 points, and Skal Labissiere picking up 13 points and 11 boards to provide most of the punch for Stockton. Jalen Slawson added 11 points to round out the starting lineup as they gave the Bulls fits most of the night. As if guarding the starters wasn't hard enough, try doing that when the bench provided just as much offensive firepower.

Jaylen Nowell led the way for the Kings second unit with 13 points with Deonte Burton and Stanley Johnson picking up 11 and 10. This is the type of production the Bulls hope to get to, but with Jalen Phillips and Terry still playing NBA games, it may be hard for the Bulls who continue to struggle.