MEMPHIS, Tenn. _ There's at least one positive to the Bulls playing in such short-handed fashion of late: The youth movement has gained traction.
With Dwyane Wade resting back in Chicago and Nikola Mirotic staying home as well while missing his fourth game because of illness, the Bulls at one point Sunday night ran veteran Rajon Rondo with Doug McDermott, Denzel Valentine, Bobby Portis and Cristiano Felicio.
They also started second-round pick Paul Zipser for the second time in three games.
McDermott in particular took advantage, breaking out of his four-game slump with a second quarter for the ages. The third-year shooter so crucial to the Bulls' future scored 20 of his career-high 31 points in the period, at one point scoring 15 straight.
McDermott's big night fueled the Bulls' gritty 108-104 victory over the Grizzlies at the FedEx Forum, their second straight.
Playing in the NBA's annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration games is considered an honor. And the Bulls have played here, where the day obviously takes on even greater significance, four times.
But they treated it like a burden in the first quarter as they finished a busy stretch of five games in seven nights. In setting a season low for first-quarter points with 14, the Bulls at one point missed 11 straight shots and shot 27.3 percent from the field and 22.2 percent from the line.
McDermott quickly erased that stench as the Bulls tied their season high with a 38-point second quarter. McDermott shot 6-for-7 in the second, including 3-for-4 from 3-point range. His 22 points fell eight points shy of Michael Jordan's franchise record for points in a quarter, not to mention McDermott's career high.
"I've been in the gym," McDermott said. "You're going to go through some stretches like this in the season. You just have to be able to work yourself out of it."
Wade missed his fifth game of the season and fourth as part of the new plan to rest him in the second of back-to-back games. Wade played fully in six of the first eight back-to-back sets before missing one game with a swollen left knee.
Coach Fred Hoiberg said Wade's impact is felt even when he's not with the team.
"The biggest thing with getting Dwyane in here was getting a guy with the type of experience and great leadership who really teaches our young guys what it's like to be a pro at this level," Hoiberg said. "And he's been great in that area. With all the young players that we have in that locker room, it's invaluable to have a guy like that, that has championship experience and has been through as many things as he has. He's been on the Olympic team, obviously taken different teams to championships, won several of them. Just the fact that you have a guy like that in your locker room will pay off for these young guys down the line in their careers."
Wade also has emboldened Jimmy Butler, whose leadership has grown and whose on-court play has risen to another level. In the three games Butler had played before Sunday with Wade out, he had averaged 39.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists.
"It doesn't surprise me just because I know how much time and effort he puts into his offseason workout programs," Hoiberg said. "He's always looking to add to his game."
