Bulls' Matas Buzelis again a Rising Star but won't do NBA Dunk Contest

It was familiar territory for Matas Buzelis.

The Bulls forward played in the NBA’s Rising Stars Game last year for the All-Star Weekend and received the invite for a second appearance on Monday.

Invite accepted.

“It means a lot,” Buzelis said of making the team again. “Anytime you have an accolade in the NBA it’s truly a blessing and honor. Hopefully we can have some more.”

Not the only invite he got from the league, however. He was also asked if he wanted to participate in the NBA Dunk Contest for a second straight year, and on that one he took a pass. Not because he didn’t have the best showing last season, as much as what’s heading his way and the team’s way.

Because of the postponed game with Miami being made up this week, the Bulls started an odyssey on Monday of five games in seven days. Buzelis just doesn’t have the prep time he feels he needs for a dunk contest.

“They did ask me, but unfortunately I’m going to decline this year,” Buzelis said. “I’m trying to listen to my body and this stretch of games coming up is going to be very important for us. Hopefully I get invited another year because I would love to do it. This year I’m going to have to decline it.

“It’s a lot of work to prepare for the dunk contest and I didn’t even prepare as well as I should have last year. Probably had two practices to practice my dunks. It takes a toll on your body.”

The fact that he still has unfinished business with the dunk contest and wants another crack at it at some point was telling. This was the last season he could participate in the Rising Stars Game, so his ideal scenario was he’s back in the dunk contest as an NBA All-Star playing in the big-boy game on Sunday.

“Absolutely. I’m always striving to be better and hopefully I’ll be an All-Star soon,” Buzelis added.

Shared victory

Kevin Huerter joked that he was the “fourth or fifth option” with his game winner against Boston on Saturday, but coach Billy Donovan was just impressed with the ball movement that generated that shot.

Josh Giddey was double-teamed, found Coby White, but rather than White being selfish and trying to play hero, he swung it to an open Huerter in the corner as a defender was charging the guard.

“I give Coby a lot of credit,” Donovan said. “They kind of got confused with Josh and Josh had two on the ball, he found Coby, Coby had a guy running at him, and he made the extra pass. That was a shot you can live with. Even if it didn’t go in it was the right play to make. I have respect for Coby for having the trust to make that pass, but that’s what we have to do. We have to live with the kinds of shots we can generate.”

Baby steps

Donovan said the other day that the medical staff didn’t think the hamstring injury Tre Jones suffered wasn’t as bad as Giddey’s strain, and there was evidence of that before the Lakers game.

Jones was on the court in the pregame, getting up shots. It was light work and there was no cutting or running, but it was a good sign that the do-everything point guard might be back before the All-Star Break if there are no setbacks.