If there were those who thought that Nikola Vučević had nothing new to offer after 14 NBA seasons, the Montenegrin ace's real answer quickly arrived.
A three-pointer for the win against Philadelphia, then the one that was crucial for the triumph against Denver, and then another cool shot from outside the 7,24 line - with the sound of the siren, while the whole of Oregon was boiling.
Chicago defeated Portland in a dramatic match (122:121), Vučević "fired" a three-pointer into the hearts of the home fans - causing silence in the hall and an "explosion" on the Bulls bench, and a celebration from our center that has probably never been seen before.
"I wish we had closed the game earlier, but it's a great feeling to score the winning basket - special, it always means a lot," said Vučević.
Vučević finished the match with 27 points, eight rebounds and two assists. and was the most efficient on his team, which after a crisis and five consecutive losses has now tied two big triumphs, both away and both with the signature of our center - against Denver and Portland...
Billy Donovan's team played well throughout the match, taking the lead midway through the second quarter, and at the beginning of the last quarter they had a huge 103:84 lead, and then almost ruined everything.
On the wings of Danny Avdija and Donovan Klingon, the home team reached a turning point, it seemed like a victory that would be remembered, but Vučević didn't think so - he received a great pass from Kobe White (with 25 points alongside the Montenegrin, the best on the Bulls) and made no mistake.
"The last quarter wasn't good for me, nor for the team... But it was a great pass from Kobe and I was confident in my shot - I'm glad it went in, I'm glad we won," added Vuč.
Two other centers from Europe - Nikola Jokić and Alperen Šengun - had a great night.
The Serbian maestro recorded his ninth triple-double of the season and with 28 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds led Denver to a triumph over New Orleans (125:118), while the brilliant Turkish basketball player recorded 28 points, 11 steals and seven assists in Houston's victory over Cleveland (114:104).
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