Zach LaVine made his first return to the United Center on Wednesday, as the Chicago Bulls beat the Sacramento Kings 126-113. The Bulls moved to 4-0, tying their start in the 2021-22 season.
Prior to the game, Bulls coach Billy Donovan reflected on the team’s previous iteration with both LaVine and his former and current teammate in Sacramento, DeMar DeRozan.
“I think that people get a chance to see the talent level and the performance and just how elite players they are,” Donovan said. “But you’re fortunate as a coach to get to know them as people. I really admire both of these guys. Really good with their families, really easy to deal with, good guys.”
“While they were here, both of them were committed to doing what was necessary,” he went on. “But I just enjoyed being around both of them as people.”
LaVine got a nice video tribute in the first quarter, as he exploded for 30 points on 12-of-19 shooting in his revenge game.
As for the game at hand, Matas Buzelis was aggressive as a scorer. Despite some turnovers and tough shots that came along with more shot creation responsibility, he scored 27 points, just four off his career high of 31.
Josh Giddey registered 20 points, eight rebounds and 12 assists with five turnovers. He was efficient scoring (7-of-14 from the field) and did well to generate paint touches that led to scoring opportunities on kickout passes. He again was not part of the team’s closing-five unit.
Nikola Vucevic continues his strong play to start the season, going for 13 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists. He was crucial as a facilitator, attacking closeouts from the top of the key and in the short roll.
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Up next: The Bulls host the New York Knicks on Friday for the first NBA Cup game of the 2025-26 season.
There has been a lot of consternation over the overcrowded guard room, but Donovan has been very clear that he wants multiple ball handlers on the court at all times.
Early in the game against the Kings, Donovan had both Giddey and Tre Jones off the court at the same time, leaving Ayo Dosunmu as the Bulls’ lone lead guard.
That left Patrick Williams and Buzelis as the closest to secondary creators, and this possession clearly showed why they were overtasked in the role.
Williams has been very solid to start the season, and though his handle is still quite shaky, he has been able to do some effective creation. Same for Buzelis, though this specific possession ended poorly for him. It’s a beneficial experience for him to have to shoulder that burden, but plays like this prove how much more room he has to grow. — Will Gottlieb
“MATASMATASMATASMATASMATASMATASMAT-what?! Did somebody call me? Sorry, I blacked out.”
That’s my inner monologue on nights like tonight, when the Bulls’ young stud is having himself a game.
Buzelis hit his first four three-point attempts. He also cooked DeRozan one-on-one with a strong take to the bucket. It’s been an encouraging blend of Matas finishing good looks his teammates create for him, and taking certain moments to initiate shots for himself. Grow, young man. Keep growing that game. Bulls Nation is 1,000% behind you.
Shoutout to DeRozan and LaVine. Great to see them back in the building. And they reminded Bulls fans and everyone else watching that they are both WAL-KING-BU-CKETS. Respect and love to them always.
Also, I think we can ease up on the whole “Wow, the Bulls have one of the best defenses in the league!” stuff. Even on a night when the Kings weren’t on fire, the Bulls still surrendered 64 first-half points.
Credit to the Bulls for slowing them down a bit in the second half, though that could be due in part to the Kings playing the final 24 minutes of a back-to-back. I think time will prove that the Bulls’ defense is not as “elite” as certain stats suggest in the first weeks of the season. That doesn’t mean they can’t get better. But they’ll need to when the luck runs dry. — Matt Peck
This game was FUN.
The Bulls had their best first quarter of the season. Great scoring, nice bawl movement.
The Attackary of Zachary was on full displachary in the second quarter. I was having flashbacks watching those stepback threes and that quick first step. So fun to watch.
The Bulls came out with purpose in the third. Vucevic started to score, and the cuts to the basket were as crisp as the night air.
Jalen Smith was key to tonight.
Matas. Matas. Matas. Awesome game. Excellent first-half scoring, and he continued to play hard all game.
The Kings are a fun team to watch. Bulls West indeed.
Has Giddey worn anything other than black to the games this season? Whatever keeps him ballin’ like he has been, I’m with it. — Big Dave
