CHICAGO (670 The Score) – The Bulls’ first game after they took a significant step toward a rebuild featured their most promising youngster having a career-best game.
Rookie forward Matas Buzelis scored a career-high 24 points on 10-of-10 shooting to help the Bulls rally to a 133-124 win against the Heat on Tuesday evening at the United Center after Chicago trailed by nine entering the fourth quarter. Buzelis’ 10-of-10 performance, which included him going 4-of-4 from 3-point range, made him the sixth rookie in NBA history to have a perfect shooting night with at least 10 field-goal attempts.
“I could just tell he had a swag about him tonight,” Bulls center Nikola Vucevic said. “He was feeling very confident. He very comfortable when he was attacking the rim, shooting the ball. You could just tell there were no second thoughts in his decision-making. I’m very happy for him. We can all see his growth as the season has evolved. He’s getting more comfortable with it. I think the game is slowing down for him a little bit, and he’s figuring out his spots and his shot has come along as well.”
Perhaps most impressive in the 20-year-old Buzelis’ performance was how he created for himself on several occasions in attacking the rim.
“I honestly always had that,” Buzelis said. “I wouldn’t say I want to bring it into my game – I always had it. It’s just about displaying it now. I always had that. Growing up, I always had the point guard moves, the small guard moves. I work on it with my coach all the time.”
Buzelis’ breakout game came two days after the Bulls agreed to trade two-time All-Star guard Zach LaVine to the Kings, which marked a significant shift in the organization’s direction. The Bulls are still looking to sell veterans such as Vucevic, though trade talks were quiet for him as of Tuesday night after a deal fell apart earlier in the day, the Sun-Times reported.
As LaVine exited, so too did the 24.0 points per game that he was averaging. That means Buzelis will have much more opportunity to take center stage in Chicago’s final 31 games of the regular season.
“Now other guys have to step up, and tonight was my night,” Buzelis said. “Tomorrow might not be, but I’m always going to play hard, play as a teammate and take the shots that are open.
“I approached it like every other game. I don’t view it differently. I saw the opportunity, and I took it. I’m happy we won, and we played really well as a team.”
Cody Westerlund is an editor for 670TheScore.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.