Bulls get back to playing fast, rally to beat Denver

The Bulls were fun to watch early this season when they were playing faster than any team in the league. But as the weeks wore on, they played slower and slower.

With the losses starting to pile up, the Bulls found a way to hit the gas again against Denver on Monday. With the second unit leading the way, the Bulls turned things around with a 13-0 run to start the fourth quarter and won 129-121 at the United Center.

Outside shooting played a huge part, with the Bulls piling up a 24-6 advantage in 3-point baskets, their largest of the season.

The biggest difference, though, were standout games from Ayo Dosunmu, Patrick Williams, Dalen Terry and rookie Matas Buzelis, who were on the floor during the fourth-quarter run. Terry scored a season-high 13 points, Williams grabbed 8 rebounds, his highest total since Nov. 11, and Buzelis had three monster dunks that are sure to make it into a plays-of-the-night montage somewhere.

“It felt good,” Buzelis said. “We were playing with a lot of energy, playing very physical. We were getting offensive rebounds, pushing the pace. I just felt like we were flowing; we weren't really thinking, just hooping.”

Buzelis had an alley-oop slam off a pass from Zach LaVine, bodied Denver's Peyton Watson on the break for another dunk, then somehow crossed over Aaron Gordon, who fell to the ground while Buzelis drove the lane for a two-hand slam.

It's been reported that Buzelis will participate in the slam dunk contest during All-Star Weekend, but the league has not yet made that official.

“Billy (Donovan) looked down and told me and Vuc, 'We're going to roll with them,'” LaVine said. “I was like, '(Darn) right.' D.T. played great, Matas played great, Pat played the way he's supposed to. We were sitting there, I was like, 'Man, this is the way we're supposed to be playing.'”

Williams has been in a slump lately and moved to a bench role in this game. The Bulls started four guards instead, including both Lonzo Ball and Dosunmu. Buzelis was the first substitute of the game, for Ball. Williams checked in a few minutes later for Dosunmu. Coby White missed his fourth straight game with an ankle injury.

The lineup decisions were mostly matchup-driven. Denver basically uses just one true center, with Aaron Gordon now backing up Nikola Jokic.

Williams acknowledged it's easier for him to get offensive opportunities with the second group, and took advantage by hitting a few baskets off the drive, which is one of his strengths. He finished with 11 points and 8 boards.

“I don't think I needed it,” Williams said. “Obviously it always feels good to have the ball go through the net a couple times. With that second unit, there's a little more offensive opportunity for me, for Ayo, for Dalen.”

Terry hadn't had a double-digit scoring game since Dec. 5. He ended up scoring his 13 points in just 13 minutes, which included making 3 of 4 3-pointers.

“It kind of took me back to when I was in college and high school where I'm just playing with a smile on my face,” Terry said. “Tonight I found myself screaming and yelling, that's when I'm at my best. I feel like this last month, I've been thinking about it too much.

“I feel like when I'm at my best I'm smiling, having a god time, cheering my teammates on. It doesn't even matter if I score. We're out there just playing fast, Ayo hitting 3s, we just laughing, having a good time. That's what I live for.”

Jokic finished with 33 points, 12 rebounds and 14 assists. LaVine led the Bulls with 20 points, while Nikola Vucevic added 20.

Donovan said LaVine is expected to miss the next game or two due to personal reasons.