Big men dominate as the Chicago Bulls rout visiting San Antonio Spurs
When the Chicago Bulls are clicking, they often overwhelm opponents with their perimeter play. Whether it's DeMar DeRozan or Zach LaVine peppering the defense with three-point shots or drives to the hoop, the Bulls often rely on their guards to generate offense. This was not the case on Monday, though, as Nikola Vucevic and Andre Drummond took care of business in the Bulls' 128-104 thrashing of the woeful San Antonio Spurs.
Drummond steps up
While his offseason signing was considered a boost for the Bulls, Drummond has become an afterthought in the rotation this season, where he's averaging a career-low 12.8 minutes per game off the bench. Against the Spurs, Drummond came alive and tallied season-highs of 21 points and 15 rebounds to go with three steals.
The two-time All-Star has struggled to find a spot in the rotation, especially when coach Billy Donovan favors a smaller, fast-paced attack with Derrick Jones Jr. at center. Given an opportunity to play in the last three games after incurring five DNPs this month, Drummond has responded with confidence.
"I never take this game lightly," Drummond said. "I appreciate every moment that I am on that floor. I don't take those moments lightly. When I get that chance, I just try to play as hard as I can and give it all I have."
Vooch continues to dominate
Meanwhile, Nikola Vucevic added 22 points and 12 rebounds in what could be his final week as a Bull. The versatile big man will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and the Bulls could lose him if they don't agree on an extension in the coming days.
Donovan said having the two big men on his team is such a luxury.
"Andre is going to do it with a lot of offensive rebounding and hard rolls to the rim. There are times he catches it in the pocket and he's close to the rim and we find him on lobs," Donovan said. "Vooch is doing it on jumpshots, floaters, some post-ups. When those two guys are giving us what they give us, that's a huge boost for our team."
