The Chicago Bulls eked out a 122-121 road win against the Portland Trail Blazers yesterday, as Nikola Vucevic converted the game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer. Down by two with 7.2 seconds left, Coby White drove inside the lane and drew two defenders before kicking the ball out to Vucevic on the left wing.
This is Vucevic’s second game-winner already this season, as he hit a similar shot against the Philadelphia 76ers at home two weeks ago. After the game, the veteran center expressed appreciation to his teammates for entrusting him with the final shot.
“I appreciate my teammates having the confidence in me,” Vucevic said via Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “It felt good when I let it go. I felt like it had a good chance of going in.”
Vucevic finished as the Chicago Bulls’ leading scorer, registering 27 points, eight rebounds, and five three-pointers on 11-for-19 shooting from the field across 33 minutes of action.
Chicago Bulls News: Coby White lauds Nikola Vucevic after game-winner vs. Portland Trail Blazers
No one could be happier with Nikola Vucevic’s buzzer-beater than Coby White, who was credited with the game-winning assist. The Chicago Bulls guard, who finished with 25 points, seven assists, two steals, and five three-pointers on 9-for-17 shooting, spoke about Vucevic’s importance to the team after the match.
“He’s our connector. He’s our leader. He makes big-time plays. He’s super important to what we do. We rely on him. He has a high IQ and good feel for the game. He’s so dangerous. He can roll. He can pop. He’s a really, really good basketball player,” White said of Vucevic via KC Johnson of CHSN.
Besides Vucevic and White, Ayo Dosunmu, Isaac Okoro, and Matas Buzelis also had double-digit points, having notched 14, 13, and 11 points, respectively.
