CHICAGO (670 The Score) – In the Bulls’ season opener, a staple of their recent past and their best hope for the future made the game-changing plays.
Veteran center Nikola Vucevic had 28 points and 14 rebounds and second-year forward Matas Buzelis added 21 points as the Bulls held off the Pistons for a 115-111 win at the United Center on Wednesday evening. Vucevic had two key baskets in the final three minutes, including the tiebreaking bucket with 1:31 remaining, which helped make Buzelis’ earlier big plays truly meaningful rather than a highlight to a collapse.
In the debut of his much-hyped sophomore campaign in the NBA, the 21-year-old Buzelis shot 7-of-12 from the field and 7-of-7 from the free-throw line while adding six rounds and three blocks. The moment that most will remember was his poster dunk over Pistons center Isaiah Stewart early in the fourth quarter, which sent the United Center crowd into a frenzy.
“Those are big plays – you know, dunks, blocks, anything like that,” Vucevic said. “They bring energy into the crowd. They bring energy to the team. It’s a huge play. I’m very proud of Matas. He became a man tonight. He got his first legit poster. He tried to claim he dunked on D’Angelo Russell or something last year, but I’m like, ‘Matas, you’re like two feet bigger than him.’”
“He’s growing (as a player), which is nice to see.”
Bulls forward Isaac Okoro assisted Buzelis on his highlight-reel dunk, which wasn’t an easy finish after he cut through the middle of the lane.
“He blocked the shot, actually, he blocked the dunk and I just pushed through and finished it,” Buzelis said.
“I’m not really worried who’s there. I’m athletic enough to finish over anybody, so I don’t really care who’s there.”
Bulls coach Billy Donovan called Buzelis “fearless” multiple times in his postgame media session. Pregame, he had praised his mindset and athleticism while adding the challenge for him will be to “impact winning” every single game, regardless of what sort of statistics he compiles.
“With his size, his ability to handle the ball, the way he moves, he’s very unique at that size,” Vucevic said of Buzelis. “His shot is coming along very well. He can be a really good all-around player. What I really like about him is he has a little bit of cockiness in him, but not in a bad way. He just has belief, which all the great ones do have. Obviously, he still has to continue to work, but I think he’s taken huge steps from last season.
“He has all the potential in the world to be a great player.”
The Bulls led by as many as 23 points in the middle of the second quarter and still held a 15-point lead entering the fourth quarter. An offensive rut from the Bulls to open the final frame opened the door for a comeback by the Pistons, who tied the game at 105-105 on forward Ron Holland’s 3-pointer with 2:54 remaining.
After the teams exchanged buckets, Buzelis dunked off a lob from guard Tre Jones. One possession later, Vucevic hit a hook shot near the rim to give the Bulls a 111-109 lead, and Okoro played quality defense on Pistons star Cade Cunningham late, forcing him into a few missed jumpers as Chicago got the stops it needed.
The victory marked the first time the Bulls won their home opener since the 2021-’22 season and the first time they won their season opener since the 2022-’23 campaign. They’ll visit the Magic on Saturday.
“I’m just proud of our guys for pushing through it,” Buzelis said. “That’s something we didn’t have in the past, and everybody came to a collective group, and we knew we had to fight for the last possessions and we came out with a win.”
Cody Westerlund is an editor for 670TheScore.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.