CLEVELAND – Nikola Vucevic sure didn’t look fresh.
His shoulders were covered with cupping marks, his size 17s were soaking in an ice bucket, and he had a towel draped over him.
Looks that were in fact very deceiving.
For the second consecutive game – both wins over the Cleveland Cavaliers – Vucevic looked like the early-season version. The one that hit game winners, fell out of bed and could score 20, and played a pivotal role in the Bulls winning games.
In the latest 136-125 victory, all he did was score 24 points, grab 15 rebounds, and ice the game with 11 points in the fourth quarter.
So how did he go from the guy that appeared to already have his bags packed for the offseason in the seven-game losing streak a few weeks back to the crafty veteran throwing up All-Star numbers? Call it a breather with some reflection.
“There were times I was definitely frustrated, mainly at me,” Vucevic admitted after the latest win put the Bulls at 12-15. “I didn’t feel like I was playing up to the level I know I can, so I tend to be pretty harsh on myself, sometimes a little bit too much.”
A point his coach wasn’t going to dispute.
“He holds himself to a really, really high standard and when that standard is not met, I think he can get extremely frustrated,” Billy Donovan said of his center. “I do think our team was out of sorts (in the losing streak). We just didn’t have a lot of guards and Vooch is always going to be the recipient off of good guard play.
“He gets really aggravated with himself. There’s been a little more chemistry for our team since we got some guys back.”
They were all back, allowing Donovan to go with an 11-man rotation he felt familiar with and one that seemed to wear the Cavs down.
What is still a concern, however? Former Bull Alex Caruso’s name was brought up to Donovan before the game as a player that understood key moments. This current group is still a work in progress in that department.
The third quarter against Cleveland was the latest reminder of that.
Up as much as 14 and in control most of the night, they watched it evaporate and quickly. First came a Jarrett Allen layup, a Darius Garland floater with the foul, and then another minute of trading baskets. With just under five minutes left in the quarter, however, Garland hit a three to cut the deficit to two, nabbed the ball, and then hit a go-ahead three.
In five minutes, the lead was gone and the visiting team was on the ropes. Exactly what Donovan was talking about a few hours earlier when discussing what championship DNA adds to a roster.
“You cannot underestimate IQ and experience, and because of what Alex Caruso went through in Los Angeles and then the IQ piece, he can understand what plays are really important,” Donovan said. “Like, ‘This is an important play,’ or ‘This is what’s about to happen.’ He can get ahead of it. When we have some of our younger guys out there their antennas are up all over the place. For some of our guys they just have to experience it, they have to go through it, go through some tough lessons so to speak.”
So maybe Friday offered up some growth.
Yes, the Bulls did allow a ridiculous 44-point third quarter, but rather than shrink in the wake of it, they actually were the sturdier team down the stretch. Without All-Stars Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley, Garland was forced to do most of the heavy lifting.
And while he finished with 35, the Bulls had seven players in double figures.
“Those (four off days two weeks ago) after Cup play were huge,” Vucevic added. “We were able to regroup, and it also helped me refresh a little bit, recalibrate myself, and just play my game.”