As teams across the Eastern Conference flounder through March, the Chicago Bulls are finding a little rhythm.
The Bulls tallied their third consecutive win Monday, a commanding 121-103 victory over the Indiana Pacers at the United Center that improved their home record to 12-22.
The Bulls were aided by the absence of Tyrese Haliburton — and some abysmal shooting from the Pacers behind the 3-point arc. They missed their first 10 attempts and finished 10-for-40. The Bulls outscored the Pacers by 19 points in the first half as Indiana’s offense stalled without its star guard.
The Bulls extended their lead to 4½ games over the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets for 10th place in the East. Despite being 11 games below .500, the Bulls (27-38) are on track to qualify for their third straight play-in tournament with 17 games remaining.
Here are four takeaways from the win.
1. Nikola Vučević and Patrick Williams returned.
The Bulls regained two key frontcourt players as starting center Vučević and backup forward Williams returned from injuries. Vučević hadn’t played since Feb. 22 after suffering a calf injury and Williams had been sidelined since Feb. 12 after receiving an injection for a knee injury.
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Both players were under minutes restrictions in their first game back. Williams played only 13 minutes while Vučević made a rare appearance off the bench to log 24 minutes. Vučević said he tried to fight the restriction — set at 28 minutes — but was held back by the medical staff.
Photos: Chicago Bulls 121, Indiana Pacers 103
“It was more weird for me when the starting lineups were being announced,” Vučević said. “Normally I’m on the bench, I have my little routine. Today I was just standing there. I didn’t know what to do.”
Vučević still finished with a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds. Williams had two points and two rebounds.
2. New depth chart at center?
The Bulls had a depth-chart issue to figure out after landing center Zach Collins in the Zach LaVine trade at the deadline. At first it seemed Collins would be the third-string center, while coach Billy Donovan toyed with the option of playing him in two-big lineups alongside Vučević.
But when Vučević returned Monday, Jalen Smith became the odd man out. Collins remained the starter and had seven points, nine rebounds and six assists. Smith was a healthy scratch, not even playing in garbage time.
Donovan hasn’t settled on a rotation at center once Vučević is back in the starting lineup. It’s likely too late in the season to experiment with the two-big look. Smith also lost some playing time after suffering a concussion that held him out for a week.
But Collins is moving up in the depth chart — creating an intriguing competition for minutes in the post.
3. Josh Giddey exited with a right ankle sprain.
The Bulls lost their leading scorer for the final stretch of Monday’s win. Giddey landed awkwardly on an opponent’s foot with about seven minutes remaining and rolled his right ankle.
Giddey immediately limped off the court and into the locker room and was quickly ruled out for the rest of the game.
Before exiting, Giddey had 29 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. He is on a tear since the All-Star break, averaging 22.4 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists over the last eight games.
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Donovan confirmed after the win that Giddey sprained his right ankle, but the team was uncertain how long he will be sidelined.
4. Matas Buzelis’ double-digit scoring streak was snapped.
The rookie season is getting real for Buzelis, whose four-game streak of double-digit scoring ended as he struggled on the offensive end, finishing with eight points in 24 minutes.
Buzelis committed two turnovers, tossing away a pass to thin air in the first half and getting stripped of the ball by Quenton Jackson midway through the fourth quarter. He missed all three of his 3-point attempts, extending a rough stretch behind the arc — 8 of 38 (21%) in the last eight games.
Despite the poor shooting, Buzelis did have a few of his signature dunks along with a blocked shot. But the rookie’s up-and-down performances the last three games reflect the growing pains of learning to function as a starter.