Chicago Bulls: 2 studs, 1 dud from grueling win over the Thunder

Studs from Chicago Bulls grueling win over the Thunder: Nikola Vucevic

It was nice to see one of the more well-rounded performances of the regular season to date for the two-time All-Star center Nikola Vucevic in this win over the Thunder. When the Bulls needed it (at least throughout the first three quarters of this game), Vucevic was able to provide a steady source of offensive production.

The problem that the Bulls faced in this game was the fact that they started to turn away from Vucevic on offense when the Thunder were going really small in the last few minutes of the fourth quarter. Vucevic presented a clear mismatch for the Bulls to exploit down low, but they weren’t really getting the ball to him.

Instead, the Bulls were taking tough shots that were considerably less efficient generally than dumping it down low to a two-time All-Star big man like Vucevic who was often facing a defender that he had five or six inches on.

Yet, Vucevic’s performance on this night should still be commended. He led the way for the Bulls with a team-high 26 points on 10-of-18 shooting from the field, 4-of-7 from beyond the arc, and a perfect 2-of-2 from the free-throw line. Vucevic also came up with a game-high 15 rebounds, four assists, one steal, three blocks, and four turnovers.

All in all, Vucevic was solid for the Bulls, finishing up the night as a +8 on the floor. If this is the type of production that the Bulls are going to get out of Vucevic on nights they need him as they did against the Thunder, his stock is trending up. But we’ve seen these spurts from him before.

The question is now, how long will it last?