On a Saturday night when the Chicago Bulls were missing Coby White , Nikola Vucevic and Ayo Dosunmu picked up the slack to help the Bulls clinch a non-clutch victory against the Washington Wizards.
The Bulls effectively held the lead for the entire game. Along the way, both Alex Caruso (16 points) and Andre Drummond (13 points) provided strong scoring contributions to keep the Wizards at a comfortable distance throughout the game.
Career Night for Ayo Dosunmu
Dosunmu earned the first 30-point scoring game of his NBA career. Overall Dosunmu's stat line was strong in 41 minutes of action: 34 points, nine assists, three rebounds, and one steal.
Dosunmu's scoring barrage took off in the second quarter where he shot 5-8 from the field. For the entire game, Ayo Dosunmu shot 14-22 (63.6%) from the field, 4-7 (57.1%) from three-point distance, and 2-2 (100%) from the free-throw line.
Nikola Vucevic Owns the Size Advantage
Vucevic stuffed his stat sheet in Saturday's game with a signature double-double effort: 29 points and 13 rebounds. While the second quarter belonged to Dosunmu, Vucevic set the tone in the first quarter for the Bulls' Saturday night against the Wizards, scoring five of the Bulls' first 10 points and delivering a season-high 16 points by the end of the first quarter.
Alex Caruso Plays the Hits
If Caruso is on the floor, he's going to deliver highlights. Here are those highlights for your viewing pleasure.
Loose Ends from the Game
Jordan Poole returned to the Wizards starting lineup for the first time since the Wizards faced the New Orleans Pelicans on Feb 14, 2014. Poole delivered a modest 13 points on 4/12 shooting from the field against the Bulls in Saturday's game.
Inexplicably, Alex Caruso, Nikola Vucevic, and DeMar DeRozan stayed in the game until the 2:23 mark of the fourth quarter, despite the Bulls leading the Wizards 116-95. As injury-depleted as the Bulls roster is, they cannot afford another key rotational player to land on the injury report if the mission is to COMPETE for the play-in tournament.
What's on Tap Next?
The Bulls return to action Monday against the Portland Trailblazers. The Trailblazers are eliminated from 2024 NBA playoff contention, so this game presents another opportunity for the Bulls to improve their play-in outlook. Tip-off is at 7 PM CT and the game will air on NBC Sports Chicago.
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