When Nikola Vucevic leads the offense, the Chicago Bulls perform at their highest level.
As per the two-time All-Star big man, at least they were playing the Boston Celtics. 129-112 was the result of their first game after the All-Star break, and they still lost.
The Bulls led 62–59 at the half after overcoming a 16-point deficit in the first quarter.
The second quarter saw them outscore the Celtics 39-28. However, the third quarter saw the Celtics come back with a 37-21 advantage.
After the game, Vucevic told reporters, “I think we were playing at a quicker pace in the second quarter when I really got going.” “When their defense wasn’t set, I was able to get a lot of my shots in the pocket, out of transition, screen-and-roll, and other similar plays.”
“The game kind of slowed down and they took away a lot of those in the pocket in the third quarter because they were making so many jumpers and we were having to get the ball out of the paint so frequently. They managed to infiltrate us. We couldn’t really get anything going. That, in my opinion, was the largest change and removed items from the pocket.
He remarked, “I have to examine it to see whether I might have been more assertive. However, that was how it felt.
In addition to his two assists, Vucevic recorded a team-high 22 points and 14 rebounds. But in the second half, he only managed two points on one of his seven attempts.
Bulls Are “Not a Good Shooting Team,” Says Nikola Vucevic
He was 0-for-3 from three, though, continuing his shooting slump. Notably, the Bulls made 28 threes in the game compared to the Celtics’ 47.
Compared to Boston, who buried 23 deep looks, Chicago sunk 10.
That’s what they do, according to Vucevic. “They have a really talented shooting group. Their starting five can really shoot it, so they have a lot of shooting talent. So, we were aware that would happen. That was, of course, the major distinction. They nearly made as many three-pointers as we did.
It’s difficult, terribly difficult, particularly with a gap like this one. We have occasionally done a little better with that this season, in my opinion. However, it’s challenging in a game like this one when they really heat up and we’re not really making shots—generally speaking, we’re not a terrific shooting team for threes like that.
According to NBA.com, the Bulls are 19th in efficiency this season and 22nd in three-point attempts.
First and fourth place go to the Celtics, respectively. It is hard for Vucevic and the Bulls to overcome that, especially considering that they only shot a meager 35.7% from outside the arc against the Celtics’ 48.9% for the game.
Bulls’ response to the Celtics’ 3Q surge was “diminished.”
“I felt like they really took it to us in the third quarter, and we didn’t really respond well,” Vucevic remarked. “We had a few early third-quarter misses. And after they made a few baskets, we started to lose confidence in ourselves and were never able to fully recover in the game.
At the half, the Celtics were 10-for-22 from beyond the arc, while the Bulls were only 6-for-14.
However, they shot just 2 out of 7 in the third quarter as the Celtics shot 7 out of 11, which sealed their destiny and dropped their season record to 26-30.
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“There is undoubtedly a significant difference. Undoubtedly affected the match, according to Vucevic. “They certainly made some difficult ones. However, they are an excellent team. They proved tonight why they are arguably the finest basketball club in the league right now.
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