No Nikola Vucevic, no problem.
At least, that’s the energy that center Andre Drummond brought to the Bulls’ 118-113 win over the Hawks on Tuesday night at the United Center.
Drummond got his first start in place of Vucevic (strained groin) and quickly offered an indication of what was to come, grabbing an offensive rebound for an easy putback three minutes into the game and making the “too small” gesture as he ran downcourt. He finished with 24 points — just behind teammate DeMar DeRozan’s game-high 25 — and a game-high 25 rebounds.
The win was the Bulls’ ninth in their last 13 games, improving their record to 14-18.
“He was awesome,” coach Billy Donovan said of Drummond. “Personally, I’m happy for him because every day he comes in, works and is for the team. A guy of his caliber and what he’s done, you know he’s a guy who deserves more minutes and could play more minutes, but he always does what’s best for the team with whatever he’s given, minutewise.”
The Hawks had the NBA’s fifth-best offensive rating coming in but looked mortal in the first quarter, shooting 21% from three-point range and 29.2% from the field overall. They found their rhythm in the second quarter in moments when Drummond was resting on the bench, outscoring the Bulls 39-22 to give them a six-point lead at the half.
For a third straight game, the Bulls struggled with the three, having shot 25% from behind the arc against the Spurs, 22.9% against the Cavaliers and now 28% against the Hawks. After going 3-for-10 from three-point range to start the game, they went cold until midway through the third quarter, when DeRozan connected from the top of the key. Guard Coby White went 0-for-7 after going 0-for-8 against the Cavs.
But with Drummond there to clean up, those struggles didn’t cost the Bulls the game. His 10 offensive boards helped them outscore the Hawks 24-21 in second-chance looks. He’s now the 19th player in Bulls history with a 20-point, 20-rebound game and the first to finish with 25 rebounds since Ben Wallace in 2006.
Six Bulls finished the night in double figures in scoring, including DeRozan after being held scoreless in the first.
With the score tied at 106 in the fourth, it was Drummond who was diving on the floor to get the lead back. After a missed driving floater by guard Ayo Dosunmu, Drummond drew a foul from the Hawks’ Trae Young, and guard Alex Caruso drained a three on the ensuing play.
In the closing minutes, the Bulls went into clutch mode, with DeRozan scoring 11 of his 25 in the fourth.
“He’s a consummate professional,” Donovan said. “The thing I love about him is he’ll do whatever he needs to help the team. He is an elite closer. He’s been that way for his career. When the game slows down, you try to get him in areas of the floor where he can do what he does.”
The Bulls are now 9-4 without guard Zach LaVine, who has been out since late November with a foot issue. Donovan said before the game that LaVine has begun ramping up his activity, including light cutting, which will be a significant indicator of his readiness to return.