Four-mative start: Buzelis, Bulls stay hot in LaVine’s return

When the pregame warm-up clock counted down to zero before Wednesday's Bulls-Kings game, the horn got stuck. It blared for about a minute before someone finally found the squelch button.

Was it the Zach LaVine celebration horn?

Maybe it was an alarm signaling the arrival of Matas Buzelis.

With former Bulls LaVine and DeMar DeRozan back at the United Center with Sacramento, Buzelis stole the show. The second-year pro scored a team-high 27 points and the Bulls dominated the second half on the way to a 126-113 victory at the United Center.

The Bulls improved to 4-0 on the season, their best start since 2021-22.

LaVine scored 30 points for the fourth time in five games this season, and the Kings led by 12 in the second quarter. But the Bulls used their standard “play fast and use a deep rotation” game plan to take control after halftime. Sacramento (1-4) was playing a tough back-to-back after losing in Oklahoma City on Tuesday, while the Bulls had a day off.

The Bulls played the standard welcome-back tribute video for LaVine during the initial timeout of the first quarter. Both he and DeRozan received cheers during pregame introductions, though nothing overwhelming.

“Not as emotional as you would think,” LaVine said of his return. “This felt like I came home. I love Chicago. I love you guys (reporters). Through ups and downs, I've grown my family here, I've had major moments, low points. I became a man here. So it was very appreciative.

“I'll always love Chicago. I love the guys over there, I love Billy (Donovan). I'm really excited for them.”

The discussion quickly turned to Buzelis, who made his NBA debut alongside LaVine last season.

“I told Matas how good of a game he had,” LaVine said. “Matas is looking so good. This is the trajectory he's going to be on. The athleticism and the mindset were already there. Every time I went back to the AC (Advocate Center) in the nighttime, he was asking, 'Can I come in and work with you.' He can do it all.”

The Bulls put six players in double figures. Josh Giddey finished with 20 points and 12 assists, Kevin Huerter scored 18, while Nikola Vucevic posted 13 points and 14 rebounds. DeRozan scored 19 points for the Kings.

At the start of the day, the Bulls ranked second in the NBA in defensive rating, behind the Thunder. But the Kings picked apart that defense in the second quarter, shooting 58% and building the 12-point lead. The Bulls finished the first half on a 14-4 surge to get within 2 at halftime.

A couple times in the second quarter, LaVine caught the ball at the foul line and used his athleticism to explode to the basket before any Bulls defenders could even think about getting in the way.

The current Bulls are all about attacking the basket or dishing it out for a corner 3-pointer. Buzelis is good at both, and hit his first four attempts from long range in this game.

“Every game we've got to put some pressure at the rim,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. “(Buzelis) is really good, because when he does gather it, he can Eurostep, he can kind of pivot around people. And he's so long, he can kind of get to the rim where it just looks like he can't quite get there.”

LaVine and DeRozan were together for three years with the Bulls. DeRozan became a free agent and joined the Kings in a sign-and-trade in the summer of 2024, while the Bulls traded LaVine to the Kings on Feb. 3, receiving Kevin Huerter, Tre Jones, Zach Collins and full rights to their own 2025 first-round pick in return.

During that 2021-22 season, the Bulls built a 27-11 record and were contending for first place in the Eastern Conference when Lonzo Ball went out with a knee injury, and things were never the same. The Bulls hung on for the six seed and a playoff appearance in 2022, then lost in the play-in tournament the next two years.

“I would've loved to be able to see that group stay whole to see what would've happened,” Donovan said before the game. “So some of it, a lot of it, was probably out of our control in a lot of ways.”

LaVine made his second all-star appearance that season.

“I know I did a lot of good in Chicago, in a Bulls uniform, in the community, as a person and as a teammate,” he said. “I just wish I could have won more here.

“I appreciate each and every moment that I've had here. I'll continue to be a fan of this team and organization. It's nothing but love. My tenure here, I enjoyed every piece of it.”