Though the playoff stakes are lessening by the day for the Bulls (29-42), the team’s focus has not changed.
Forward Matas Buzelis made that clear at shootaround Monday morning. When asked about his mindset with even the play-in tournament likely out of reach, he said:
“Win every game. Play-in or not. Playoffs or not. [We are] trying to win every game.”
They did that against Houston, despite a combined 73 points from the Rockets 1-2 punch of Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun.
In the first quarter, however, the man of the hour was Bulls guard Collin Sexton. Sexton, acquired from Charlotte in the Coby White deal, has provided a scoring punch for his new team. He could not be stopped out of the gates, scoring 20 points in the first half.
“I wanted to bring the juice and the energy — that’s all I was thinking about these last couple [games],” Sexton said.
Durant, meanwhile, looked ordinary in the first half**,** committing two turnovers and missing two free throws.
It looked like the Bulls might skate to an easy victory behind blistering 3-point shooting.
Until Durant became otherworldly again.
Dropping 40 points, Durant led the Rockets back from a 20-point deficit and into a late fourth-quarter lead.
The Bulls needed back-to-back 3-pointers from Josh Giddey and Buzelis in the final minutes to regain control.
Hanging on for the win felt sweet, especially because it featured contributions up and down the roster. Everyone from Leonard Miller to Jalen Smith shined.
It was a small reward for a team struggling to find its rhythm after adding seven new players at the trade deadline.
But in the grand scheme of things, the win is largely meaningless for the Bulls. If anything, it could hurt their lottery odds, given they are at risk of the Bucks moving ahead of them in the draft order.
Meanwhile, the Rockets remain firmly in the Western Conference playoff mix, and Durant continues to climb the record books.
This past weekend, he passed Michael Jordan to become the NBA’s fifth all-time leading scorer.
Bulls coach Billy Donovan experienced Durant’s greatness firsthand, coaching him for one season with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2015-16.
“I loved him,” Donovan said of Durant. “Beyond the scoring, he’s a real student of the game. I’ve told many people this: I never saw him walk into a gym and not take a game shot. He doesn’t mess around. He’s very, very detailed. He’s incredibly driven and motivated. I admire the fact that he’s not afraid of big moments.”
Donovan was asked whether Durant changed the possibilities for players of his size. Maybe Buzelis, a 6'8 wing, could follow a similar path?
But Donovan was quick to acknowledge that players like Durant come around only once in a generation.
“I think he’s totally unique,” Donovan said. “You could realistically play him at any position. He could play point guard all the way down if you need to. I don’t know if there’s anybody you could even compare him to, with the way he plays, his size and his skill set.”
Still, not a bad archetype for Buzelis to strive for.
If Durant stays healthy and maintains his usual production, he could pass Kobe Bryant for fourth on the all-time scoring list next season. But passing Jordan carried special meaning given his influence.
“MJ is in a world of his own,” Durant said. “A planet or galaxy of his own. Somebody I look up to and respect, who basically shaped the game for me.”