Billy Donovan laments Nikola Vucevic’s usage in loss to Lakers

On Monday, the Chicago Bulls had their four-game winning streak snatched by the Los Angeles Lakers 129-118. Even though they got a good game out of Coby White, there is one player that head coach Billy Donovan wished had gotten the ball more.

Nikola Vucevic. Altogether, Vucevic finished with a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds. However, Donovan thought there were times when Vooch should have gotten the ball instead of being preoccupied on the perimeter.

“I thought we missed Vooch a ton tonight,” Donovan said. “I thought he had some really, really good post position in a lot of different situations, and we settled for some threes when the ball should have been dumped down.”

Billy Donovan thought the Bulls “missed Vooch a ton tonight”

He felt they didn’t give enough looks to Nikola Vucevic as the Bulls lost to the Lakers 129-118 pic.twitter.com/0BnDrRPkDf

— Zachary Draves (@DravesZachary) January 27, 2026

Additionally, Ayo Dosunmu wasn’t far behind, scoring 20 points. Josh Giddey finished with 19 points and dished out seven assists.

Jalen Smith started and posted 13 points and 7 rebounds; Matas Buzelis added 11 points and five boards.

The Lakers outscored the Bulls in the paint 52-48. Doncic scored 46 points and made eight threes; LeBron had 24 points and five rebounds; Hachimura had 23 points, and Smart added 12.

With the loss, the Bulls are now back at .500 at 23-23. On Thursday, they will play against the Miami Heat in a rescheduled game at the United Center.

Vucevic, 35, is averaging 16.1 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. Also, he has 18 double doubles this season. Currently, he is playing out the last year of his contract in Chicago. In 2023, Vucevic signed a three-year $60 million deal. 

Afterward, Vucevic will become an unrestricted free agent. He has a career average of 17.2 points and 9.1 rebounds against the Lakers.

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