Not bad for an old guy.
On a night in which Matas Buzelis let the league know he might be a headache for years to come, it was Nikola Vucevic, soon to be 35, who reminded everyone that he’s still around.
Thanks to Vucevic’s 28 points, including eight down the stretch, the Bulls beat the Pistons 115-111 on opening night at the United Center.
“I felt really good,” Vucevic said. “Preseason was just a way for me to get my body going.
‘‘I know my body really well, and my teammates got me going inside and outside.”
And Buzelis took care of everything above the rim.
That included a highlight-reel dunk with 9:26 left in which Buzelis cut, caught Isaac Okoro’s pass and went right at Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart, who already had three blocks. It was a play that brought the home crowd to its feet, but also a reminder of the building hype that has surrounded Buzelis all offseason.
MATAS BUZELIS CAUGHT A BODY.@BuzelisMatas | @CHSN__ pic.twitter.com/JqpHRMkr0j
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) October 23, 2025
The second-year forward had another nasty slam minutes later on his way to 21 points. He also grabbed six rebounds.
“It’s extremely important because this is going to build the foundation of how we’re going to play the rest of the season,” Buzelis said.
When discussing his own goals, he was asked about emerging as one of the go-to guys when needed.
“I think I can be a go-to guy, but it comes down to whatever the team needs me to do to win games,” he said. “The NBA now is positionless, so whoever has a heater, whoever has it going, that’s who we’re going to go to. If it’s my night, it’s my night. If it’s not, I’m going to have to do the dirty work, defend as hard as possible, do the little things to impact the game.”
It was Buzelis’ night, but he had to share those duties.
“Vooch does an unbelievable job professionally taking care of himself,” coach Billy Donovan said. “When he plays on both ends of the floor like he did, it just really helps our team.”
But the Bulls didn’t make it easy on themselves.
After controlling the game through the first three quarters, they allowed the Pistons to get off the canvas. Detroit put together a 26-11 run in the fourth.
That’s when Vucevic said enough is enough.
The Pistons closed to six with just over five minutes left, but Vucevic made an 11-foot jumper. Cade Cunningham made a three-pointer seconds later, but Vucevic answered with a 12-footer.
Even when Detroit came all the way back to tie the score with just under three minutes left, Vucevic hit clutch shot after clutch shot.
“[Vucevic] loves playing,” Donovan said. “He’s really smart, he’s really skilled and he knows how to play.”
Donovan couldn’t have asked for a better first quarter; it really was a study in styles making the fight.
Detroit came in with expectations and a brand of basketball that focuses on ground-and-pound, while the Bulls were about finesse with a good amount of bob and weave.
Round 1 went to the Bulls 35-19 thanks to 12 points from Vucevic. The Bulls went 12-for-25 from the field and handed out 10 assists in the quarter.
