McDermott hopes to stay hot for Bulls

Perspective can change quickly in the NBA.

Doug McDermott had a brilliant shooting night against Toronto on Friday, hitting 13 of 17 shots overall for a career-high 30 points, while knocking down 4 of 5 attempts from 3-point land.

Later that night, however, Portland's Damien Lillard put McDermott's stat line to shame. Lillard scored 51 points, hitting 9 of 12 shots from 3-point range as the Trail Blazers handed Golden State its fifth loss of the season.

"Obviously, I had a good game. We won. But it's just one game," McDermott said after the Bulls' 116-106 victory at the United Center. "I can't dwell on this too much. I'm definitely going to use it to fuel me a little more, but every night's going to be different, so every night's going to be a different challenge."

The perspective argument could be used on the Bulls, too. Some fans were anxious to criticize the basketball operations team of John Paxson and Gar Forman for the team's 28-26 record and lack of significant moves at the trade deadline.

But if McDermott keeps playing like this, moving up in the 2014 draft to land the former Creighton scoring machine will be considered a great move by the Bulls.

Of course, consistency is the challenge in the NBA. If McDermott scores 30 points every night, he might be MVP. If he can do it once in a while, he'll be a top-line player. If he does it once a month, he's basically Marcus Fizer and not much use to any team.

McDermott didn't play much as a rookie, but it's been clear this season he owns some impressive scoring skills. He's more than a 3-point shooter. He can hit runners, mid-range pullups and cut to the basket. It's not a surprise any more when he throws down a two-handed dunk.

"I've had a lot of conversations with guys on the team," McDermott said. "Pau (Gasol) has been really good for me because we started to play a little more together out there. He's told me sometimes I'm rushing shots out there. Some guys tell me to shoot more.

"So it's kind of in between. Tonight it was really good balance. If I'm open, I shoot it. If not, I'm going to throw it to the elbows and try to make a play cutting away or screening for someone. I feel like we really found our balance tonight."

Sometimes great shooters need a chance to catch their rhythm. Kobe Bryant, who will play his final game at the United Center on Sunday, is a perfect example. McDermott, averaging 7.5 shot attempts this season, says volume is not an issue.

"I'm not a guy that's going to complain about shots," he said. "Sometimes I'm affecting the team in a positive way, even by just being out there spacing the floor, it opens up things for Derrick or when Jimmy's healthy. So can't base it all off shots. But to be honest, I've got to become a better defender if I'm going to play more. I think tonight was a good first step."

The other new revelation in Friday's victory was adding rookie center Cristiano Felicio to the rotation. The Brazil native finished with 8 points and 3 rebounds, and made an impact defensively.

Toronto center Jonas Valanciunas manhandled Gasol early in the game, collecting 11 points and 6 rebounds in the first quarter alone. Felicio had the strength to slow down Valanciunas a little bit after Gasol picked up two fouls.

"Cris was huge. We've been trying to find a time to get Cris in there," coach Fred Hoiberg said. "He's been really good in practices and he didn't go out there and play intimidated. We needed someone to go in there and bang around with Valanciunas. He did a nice job of staying vertical on a couple shot challenges and then finished a couple plays at the rim."

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Bulls scouting report

Bulls vs. Los Angeles Lakers at the United Center, 7 p.m. Sunday

TV: WGN, ESPN

Radio: ESPN 1000-AM

Outlook: The Lakers are one of the worst teams in the NBA, but the attraction for this one is it's set to be Kobe Bryant's last game in Chicago. Bryant suffered a dislocated right middle finger late in Friday's loss to San Antonio. He's listed as probable for this one and it doesn't seem likely he'll skip his final appearance in Michael Jordan's House. The Bulls rolled to a 114-91 win over the Lakers at Staples Center on Jan. 28. Bryant is averaging 17.1 points, but shooting just 35 percent this season. Next up on the Lakers' scoring list are SG Lou Williams (15.5 ppg) and PG Jordan Clarkson (15.4)

Next: Washington Wizards at the United Center on Wednesday, 7 p.m.

- Mike McGraw