Matas Buzelis earns more praise from career night vs. Los Angeles Lakers

Matas Buzelis scored 31 points on highly efficient shooting to propel the Chicago Bulls to a stunning victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. Coby White scored 36, extending his historic 20-point streak, in the process as well, but the star guard wanted to talk about the rookie’s breakout performance instead.

Coby White praises Matas Buzelis in huge win

Thanks to performances like the ones Coby White and Matas Buzelis put in on Saturday night against the Los Angeles Lakers, the Chicago Bulls have won seven of their last nine contests as they continue to make the case for a play-in spot in the East.

Buzelis’ star turn which included shooting 12/18 and 50% on three-point attempts helped lead the Bulls to a win in LeBron James’ highly-anticipated return to the Lakers’ lineup. Buzelis stepped up, though, and drew praise from White.

“He’s definitely taking on challenges,” White said via The Athletic. “This road trip has not been easy with everybody he’s had to guard, especially two of the greatest players of all time in guarding Kevin Durant and then having to guard LeBron James. But the one thing about Matas: I always say he’s super competitive, and he plays to win no matter what.”

As for the task of going head-to-head with the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, Buzelis wasn’t scared of the task at hand. “I just got excited,” Buzelis said. “I’m a competitive guy, so I’m just going to try to make it tough on him. Of course, (James is) one of the best players ever — or the best player ever. I just knew I’ve got to come in and compete.”

This came after a disappointing game the last time out, where Buzelis made some mistakes that effectively got him benched. He played less than five minutes in the second half of a comeback win over the Sacramento Kings.

White admitted that he was worried about the rookie’s mental health, but Buzelis reportedly told him he was “fine” and just happy that the Bulls got a win. “You don’t really hear that a lot from a guy his age — that mentality,” White said. “He just let it go. He was having a good time on the plane, on the bus. He wasn’t down… I know when I was his age and when I was in the NBA, I would have been down on myself just because that happened.”

The Bulls are quickly charging towards a play-in berth and a possible trip to the postseason with White and Buzelis leading the way. The future might seem a whole lot brighter in Chicago now than it once did.