By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
During the NBA Night, Nikola Vucevic produced a crazy performance of 43 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals to help the Chicago Bulls beat Golden State 132-118 at home.
This is the second time the Montenegrin center scored this amount of points, which is his career-high. He last scored 43 points on February 2, 2021, against the Bulls playing for the Orlando Magic.
“I got going really early. It’s hard to explain. You just get this feeling within yourself that it’s kinda gonna be your night and you just play. We really moved the ball. We really played aggressively offensively and I was able to get into my spots. I know I’m capable of it. I know how good I am, especially at the offensive end. It’s just me finding my spots and playing that way”, he said after the game.
“I think we’ve got to try to establish him as much as we can. It’s not necessarily so much trying to get him to score, it’s establishing when the ball’s in his hands because he’s a really good facilitator, he doesn’t really force a lot of shots. There are times when he gets up against the clock where he’s gotta force one maybe, but for the most part, he’s a really good ball mover. I think the biggest thing keeping him in rhythm is just getting the ball in his hands. Even if he didn’t score, I think it’s important that he’s engaged in the game for us, offensively”, head coach Billy Donovan said on Vucevic.
The former Orlando Magic center is averaging 17.5 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game, shooting 52.4% from the field and 83.3% at the charity stripe.
The Chicago Bulls (20-24, 10th in the Eastern Conference) are flying to Europe to be ready for the 2023 NBA Paris Game against the Detroit Pistons, scheduled on January 19 at 21:00 CET. The game will be played in the Accor Arena.
PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images