Bulls survive 40-piece from Kevin Durant to beat Rockets

Although the playoff stakes are lessening by the day for the Bulls, their focus hasn’t changed, as forward Matas Buzelis made clear at their shootaround Monday morning. Asked about his mindset with even the play-in tournament likely out of reach, he said:

“Win every game. Play-in or not. Playoffs or not. [We’re] trying to win every game.”

They did that against the Rockets, grinding out a 132-124 win at the United Center despite a combined 73 points from the Rockets’ 1-2 punch of Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun.

In the first quarter, the man of the hour was Bulls guard Collin Sexton. Acquired from the Hornets in the Coby White deal last month, Sexton has provided a scoring punch and couldn’t be stopped out of the gate Monday, scoring 20 of his 25 points in the first half.

“I wanted to bring the juice and the energy — that’s all I was thinking about these last couple [of games],” Sexton said.

Durant looked ordinary early, committing two turnovers and missing two free throws.

It appeared the Bulls (29-42) might skate to an easy victory behind blistering three-point shooting — until Durant became other-worldly again. Dropping 40 points, he led the Rockets (43-28) back from a 20-point deficit and into a lead late in the fourth quarter.

The Bulls needed back-to-back threes from guard Josh Giddey and Buzelis in the final minutes to regain control.

Hanging on for the win felt sweet, espe-cially given the contributions up and down the roster. Everyone from reserve forward Leonard Miller to big man Jalen Smith shined. It was a small reward for a team struggling to find its rhythm after adding seven new players at the trade deadline.

But in the grand scheme of things, the victory is largely meaningless for the Bulls. If anything, it could hurt their draft lottery odds as the Bucks threaten to move ahead of them in the draft order.

The Rockets, on the other hand, remain firmly in the Western Conference playoff mix, with Durant continuing to climb in the record books. Last weekend, he passed Michael Jordan to become the NBA’s fifth all-time scorer.

Bulls coach Billy Donovan experienced Durant’s greatness firsthand when he coached him for a season with the Thunder in 2015-16.

“I loved him,” Donovan said. “Beyond the scoring, he’s a real student of the game. I’ve told many people this: I never saw him walk into a gym and not take a game shot. He doesn’t mess around. He’s very, very detailed. He’s incredibly driven and motivated. I admire the fact that he’s not afraid of big moments.”

Might Durant change the possibilities for players of his size? Maybe Buzelis, a 6-8 wing, could follow a similar path?

Donovan quickly acknowledged a player like Durant comes along once in a generation.

“I think he’s totally unique,” Donovan said. “You could realistically play him at any position. He could play point guard all the way down if you need to. I don’t know if there’s anybody you could even compare him to with the way he plays, his size and his skill set.”

Still, it’s not a bad archetype for Buzelis to strive for. If Durant, 37, stays healthy and maintains his usual production, he could pass the late Kobe Bryant on the all-time scoring list next season. In the meantime, passing Jordan carries special meaning for him, considering Jordan’s influence.

“MJ is in a world of his own,” Durant said. “A planet or galaxy of his own. Somebody I look up to and respect, who basically shaped the game for me.”