Nikola Vucevic is clearly rounding into form for the Chicago Bulls, and that’s bad news for the rest of the Eastern Conference.
Vucevic has recorded double-doubles in eight of his past nine games as the Bulls prepare for a Friday game against the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis.
The 6-foot-10 center struggled on offense early in the season, but over the past six games, he is averaging 22.2 points and 13.8 rebounds while shooting 40.7 percent (11 of 27) from 3-point range.
“I think as the season has gone on, I’ve been doing a good job of finding my spots,” Vucevic said. “And lately I’ve been able to also get more touches closer to the basket — post-ups or on rolls.”
Vucevic turned in another dominant effort Thursday, contributing 30 points and 18 rebounds in the Bulls’ 127-120 overtime loss to the Raptors. The game at Toronto began a stretch of four games in five nights for Chicago.
The Bulls could opt to rest Zach LaVine on the end of a back-to-back set after the veteran guard was listed as questionable prior to Thursday’s game due to back spasms.
LaVine, who was named as an All-Star reserve on Thursday, played 42 minutes against Toronto and finished with 15 points and seven assists.
Chicago has won its last two meetings against Indiana, which will likely be without Domantas Sabonis for the third straight game. The big man is in the league’s health and safety protocol.
The Pacers’ depleted frontcourt includes several other injured players, including Myles Turner (left foot), Goga Bitadze (right foot) and Oshae Brissett (right ankle).
Rookie forward Isaiah Jackson is listed as day-to-day after leaving the Wednesday game against the Orlando Magic in the first 30 seconds with a right ankle sprain.
Indiana eventually lost 119-118 despite the efforts of Terry Taylor, who posted 24 points and 16 rebounds, both career-high totals. The 6-foot-5 rookie logged his first double-double in his seventh game.
Taylor, 22, began the season in the G League before earning a two-way contract and making a strong first impression with the Pacers.
“He was tremendous,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “He’s got a real good feel for the game. He knows who he is. He knows his strengths. He plays to them.
“He’s a very unique player. He’s worked extremely hard to get this opportunity to be in the NBA and have a chance to get minutes, and he’s making the most of it.”
Indiana could use another strong outing from Taylor against Chicago, which sits percentage points ahead of the Miami Heat atop the Eastern Conference standings.
The Bulls continue to be pleased by the play of rookie guard Ayo Dosunmu, who will play in the Rising Stars game during All-Star weekend.
“One thing that I love about him is I think there’s a bigger purpose and a bigger mission for him, where it’s not necessarily a play or a shot that he’s playing for,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. “He’s playing for the team. He’s playing to make guys around him better.”
Dosunmu is averaging 12 points and 8.5 assists in his last two games for Chicago, which has struggled on the defensive end without Lonzo Ball (left knee) and Alex Caruso (right wrist).
The Thursday loss to Toronto marked the seventh game in a row — and 12th time in their last 13 contests — the Bulls allowed their opponent to score 100-plus points.
