A nice bounce-back win for second-year head coach Billy Donovan and the Chicago Bulls came over the struggling, but young, Orlando Magic on the night of Nov. 26 on the road at the Amway Center. And this was one of the most convincing wins for the Bulls in the last few years, coming by the final score of 123-88.
Winning by a whopping 35-point margin sounds like a really good way for the Bulls to respond to the two-game losing streak they came into the matchup against the Magic with. But that meeting with the Magic was just one game in a set of back-to-backs this weekend. On Nov. 27, the Bulls return home to face former star Chicago shooting guard/small forward Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat at the United Center.
One of the major looming storylines for the Bulls in this set of back-to-back games is the play of star center Nikola Vucevic, who recently returned to the rotation after a stint in quarantine for a couple of weeks due to the league’s health and safety protocol. Vucevic is playing pretty well in his return to the lineup this week considering that he got off to a slow start this season and just went through the COVID-19 protocols.
Moreover, it was interesting to see Vucevic matchup with one of the players the Bulls’ traded for him from the Magic at the deadline last season, center Wendell Carter Jr. The former Duke Blue Devils big man WCJ is having a solid start to the season himself and got off to a hot start against the Bulls in this Nov. 26 matchup.
Chicago Bulls’ star Nikola Vucevic gives Wendell Carter Jr. some kind words on his future
WCJ really showed out in his team’s loss to the Bulls on Nov. 26. He registered a season-high 26 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, no steals, and two blocks. And he shot 8-of-15 from the field, 2-of-6 from beyond the arc, and 8-of-10 from the free-throw line.
The solid performance from WCJ prompted the Bulls’ two-time All-Star center Vucevic to give him some words of optimistic after the game ended. Vucevic reportedly told WCJ that “he always liked his game even before he was with the Bulls” and that “he has a special future”.
Nikola Vucevic sought out Wendell Carter Jr. postgame. Said he offered words of encouragement and praised him for working hard on his game: "I always liked his game even before when he was with the Bulls. I think he has a special future."
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) November 27, 2021
It’s good to see WCJ finding success elsewhere after the Bulls dealt him out at the trade deadline last season. These kind words from Vucevic also go to show how special of a return home it was for the former Magic star.
Vucevic had a pretty solid outing against the Magic himself. He finished up with 16 points, eight rebounds, three assists, no steals, and one block. And Vucevic shot 7-of-13 from the field, 1-of-4 from beyond the arc, but struggled from the charity stripe going just 1-of-5.
Following the dominant win over the Magic on Nov. 26, the Bulls are now sporting a record of 13-7. Vucevic and the Bulls are set to tip-off against Butler and the Heat at home at the United Center on Nov. 27 at 7 p.m. CT.