3 Takeaways & Player Grades: Bulls Beat Cavaliers Behind Big Night From Matas Buzelis, 136-125

The Chicago Bulls have a winning streak!

Two nights after taking down the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Bulls did it again on the road. They used a similarly – and shockingly – efficient offensive performance to pull off the 136-125 victory. Once again, seven players finished the night in double figures, including Matas Buzelis and Nikola Vucevic, who combined for 48 points on 20-35 shooting from the field.

They also picked up 34 assists after dishing 35 against Cleveland at the United Center, leading to a 52.0 percent shooting effort as a team. They have now shot 50+ percent from the field in three of their last four contests.

Let's go over some of the key takeaways from their first winning streak since November 19, as well as dish out some player grades!

3 Takeaways

A Fully Healthy Bulls Team

This wasn't a normal night for Billy Donovan. Aside from Noa Essengue, who will be out for the rest of the season with a shoulder injury, the Chicago Bulls were fully healthy. The return of Ayo Dosunmu after a three-game absence officially gave the head coach his full rotation for the first time this season.

Up until this point, the Bulls dealt with a never-ending stack of injuries. Starting the season with Coby White and Zach Collins sidelined, role players like Isaac Okoro, Kevin Huerter, Tre Jones, and Dosunmu were trading spots on the injury report by the time they returned. With that in mind, finally having a fully healthy rotation felt notable, especially a couple of nights removed from already upsetting the Cavaliers at the United Center.

Donovan wasted little time digging deep into his bench. He pulled Nikola Vucevic early for the second-straight game, opting for a double-big lineup of Zach Collins and Jalen Smith. The decision left Patrick Williams as the odd man out to start the first quarter, but he quickly went to the forward to begin the second frame. He was the 11th man to check in for the Bulls.

Depth was a big reason why the Bulls ended up winning the battle with Cleveland two games prior, and they were surely keen on using it to their advantage again tonight. After all, the Cavs were suffering from their own long list of bumps and bruises. Shortly before tip-off, Donovan Mitchell and Craig Porter Jr. were both ruled out with an illness. Evan Mobley, Sam Merrill, and Larry Nance Jr. were already stuck in street clothes.

To the Cavs' credit, their reserves did a decent job keeping things close early on, especially as the Bulls settled for too many jumpers to start the night. But the energy level from Chicago's newly healthy group started to make a real difference as the night went on.

The Bulls finished the second quarter on a 15-5 run to take an 11-point lead into the locker room. Five players had already scored 8+ points, while the Cavs had only two players who met that mark through the first two quarters. This run set the Bulls up for some serious success.

Matas Buzelis Looked Determined

Matas Buzelis wanted to put any talk about a sophomore slump to bed.

The young forward looked awesome to begin the night and set the tone for his entire team early. After the Bulls fell behind 11-0, he scored 7 of their next 13 points to help tie things up. Along with draining an and-one triple, he had a strong finish through traffic and an angry two-handed slam.

His activity on both ends really stood out, as did his sheer offensive versatility. Along with pushing the ball up the floor, we watched him show zero hesitation to let it fly from deep and attack the rim. Arguably, his best bucket came on a coast-to-coast opportunity where he flew past the Cavs' defense and forced another and-one.

He was an essential part of the Bulls taking control of the game in the first half, and Buzelis' energy continued to be a key difference-maker coming out of the break. He came up with a huge offensive rebound in crunch time that led to a trip to the free throw on the putback attempt. Then, a block on the other end resulted in a fastbreak layup for Tre Jones that put the Bulls up 128-120.

As impressive as this second-straight win was, THIS is really what the season is all about, right? The Bulls need to see their young players taking a step and making the big plays. Buzelis did that tonight.

From the Paint to the Three-Point Line

Despite the win, the Bulls' game plan in this one felt bizarre. In Wednesday's meeting against the Cavaliers, they feasted at the rim to the tune of 68 points in the paint. This was the most given up by the Cavs this season and the fourth-most scored by the Bulls. So why didn't Chicago come in with an aggressive downhill mindset? Your guess is as good as mine!

They settled for A LOT of threes throughout the night. Not only was this why they faced their early 11-0 deficit, but it's also why the Cavaliers were able to fight their way back in the third quarter. Cleveland rattled off a 14-2 run to take an 87-85 lead.

While the Bulls were eventually able to reclaim the advantage before heading into the fourth, the shot chart said it all. They started the third quarter 1-10 from downtown. In that same frame, they went 11-13 from the restricted area. So, again, why they didn't put even more pressure on the rim was head-scratching.

I guess the Bulls finally got the memo down the stretch. They scored 17 of their last 20 points in the paint or at the free throw line. Did it feel like a reminder that the game could have been a lot easier with better shot selection? Sure ... but better late than never!

Chicago Bulls Player Grades

Matas Buzelis – A
Stats: 24 PTS, 5 REB, 2 STL, 2 BLK

I think his section above says it all. This was a highly encouraging night from Matas Buzelis, who had not scored 20+ points since December 1.

Nikola Vucevic – B+
Stats: 24 PTS, 15 REB, 2 AST, 2 BLK

Facing off against an imposing Jarrett Allen, Nikola Vucevic played one of his best games in weeks. He got better and better as the night went on, scoring 11 points in the fourth quarter, including 7 points in the final 5:43 of play.

Tre Jones – B
Stats: 16 PTS, 6 AST, 2 STL

Tre Jones provided another strong outing off the bench. One game after beating the Cavs with a +20 night, he puts together a +18 showing on 5-7 shooting. Billy Donovan chose to close with him over Isaac Okoro, and rightfully so.

Josh Giddey – C
Stats: 17 PTS, 7 AST, 6 REB

A solid performance from Josh Giddey, who drained three shots from downtown and was a big part of helping Chicago build a cushion in the second quarter.

Coby White – C-
Stats: 13 PTS, 9 AST, 6 REB

Coby White has struggled to find a consistent rhythm offensively over the past couple of weeks, but he made up for it tonight with some good facilitating. He used his ability to get downhill to collapse the defense and find some open teammates.