Center Nikola Vučević retured to Orlando, Fla., with a splash Friday night, helping the Chicago Bulls against his former team in a 123-88 victory against the Magic.
Orlando was home for Vučević for nearly nine seasons. The center was traded to the Magic as a rookie in 2012 and spent the next nine years growing on and off the court in Florida. When the Magic traded Vučević to the Bulls in March, he left a sizable mark on the franchise record books: first in field goals (4,490), second in rebounds (6,381) and third in points (10,432) and blocks (550).
Vučević described the homecoming as emotional, but he didn’t let up on his former team in his first game back in Orlando. Playing extended minutes in his second game back from a COVID-19 diagnosis, Vučević finished with 16 points and eight rebounds.
The Magic played a video tribute honoring Vučević after the first quarter, and the center received a standing ovation from the crowd at Amway Center during his pregame introduction.
While Vučević enjoyed his homecoming celebration, DeMar DeRozan (23 points) and Zach LaVine (21) stoked the Bulls offense in a dominant performance, combining for 44 points. The Bulls sank a combined 17 3-pointers in the win, with LaVine and DeRozan accounting for three apiece and Lonzo Ball adding four.
LaVine kept the game level through another sluggish start with 12 first-quarter points, slicing through traffic in the lane to knock down fading step-back jumpers. But the Bulls found their spark again after several off nights, returning to a familiar rhythm to spread out the lead.
The Bulls kicked off the second quarter with a blazing 16-0 run until the Magic were forced to call a timeout. The Bulls defense continued to spark offensive confidence. The Bulls scored 14 points off turnovers and finished with 11 steals.
Wendell Carter, Jr. — whom the Bulls traded to the Magic as part of the Vučević deal — also shone with a double-double in his first game against his former team.
The trade was a rare instance in which both sides flourished in their new environments. Despite a slow start and COVID-19 setback, Vučević already melded into the fluid, defense-first mentality of the Bulls. In Orlando, Carter grew into a more assertive and physical player.
Against the Bulls, Carter operated as a veteran leader for a Magic team hampered by injuries to top stars Markelle Fultz, Jonathan Isaac, Michael Carter-Williams and Cole Anthony. Carter led the Magic with 26 points and 10 rebounds in the loss.
After a string of lackadaisical third quarters, the Bulls set the tone coming out of the halftime locker room to outshoot the Magic 35-23 in the third quarter.
The Bulls bench continued to fuel offensive consistency behind standout performances from LaVine and DeRozan. Bench players combined for 45 points, led by an explosive 20-point night from Coby White. White began the game with an authoritative presence behind the arc, knocking down two 3-pointers in the first half, and his defensive presence matched the antsy activity of Ball and Caruso.
The win highlighted a much-needed rebound for the Bulls, who fell into their second two-game losing streak of the season earlier this week with losses to the Indiana Pacers and Houston Rockets. The Bulls moved into the second spot in the Eastern Conference as they jockey with the Miami Heat and Brooklyn Nets.
