<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/chicago-bulls/nba-finals-news-bulls-matas-buzelis-reacts-to-thunder-pacers-nba-finals');   ga('set', 'title', 'Bulls’ Matas Buzelis reacts to Thunder-Pacers NBA Finals');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Matas-Buzelis-Chicago-Bulls-Tyrese-Haliburton-Indiana-Pacers-Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander-Oklahoma-City-Thunder-NBA-FInals.jpg"><figcaption>CP</figcaption></figure><h1>Bulls’ Matas Buzelis reacts to Thunder-Pacers NBA Finals</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-15T10:31:21-07:00">June 15th, 10:31am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-15T10:41:01-07:00">June 15th, 10:41am</time><address><a>Tomer Azarly</a>Tomer Azarly is in his ninth season as the LA Clippers beat writer and NBA reporter for ClutchPoints. From the Lob City era to the Kawhi Leonard-James Harden era, he brings you everything you need to know about the Clippers as well as coast-to-coast coverage of the NBA.In his free time, Tomer likes to play basketball, video games, and draw.You can follow his Twitter and Instagram for all Clippers content.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Chicago Bulls</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The 2025 NBA Finals are knotted up at 2-2 heading back to Oklahoma City where the Thunder <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-charles-barkley-makes-bold-declaration-nba-finals-game-4">will host Game 5</a> against the Indiana Pacers. NBA Finals Correspondent Matas Buzelis of the Chicago Bulls is excited to see what Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Tyrese Haliburton do to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-nba-finals-history-not-seen-jerry-west">lead their teams</a> to the finish line.</p><p>Neither team has won back-to-back games in this series, with each team exchanging wins throughout the first four games of the series.</p><h2><b>NBA Finals Correspondent Matas Buzelis reacts to Thunder-Pacers series</b></h2><p>Every NBA Finals, the league brings on young players to act as Correspondents for the championship round. The players, usually four splitting up the first four practice and games of the series, take turns asking players questions they’re interested about while getting a feel for the big stage that is the NBA Finals.</p><p>For Game 4, the NBA brought on forward Matas Buzelis, fresh off his All-Rookie season with the Chicago Bulls.</p><p>Buzelis checked in and spoke with ClutchPoints during the series, giving his take on his new job and the series at hand.</p><p>“I think someone texted me and he’s like you’re gonna be a correspondent,” Matas Buzelis told ClutchPoints at the NBA Finals. “I’m like, ‘oh, okay! I don’t even know what that is!’ But once I got the invite, anything that the NBA invites you to, you want to participate in. If you have the opportunity, you should take it.</p><p>“I’m looking forward to asking players the questions. Also, just getting to watch a Finals game. I think there’s a lot of talent, the best teams in the world right now in Indiana and Oklahoma City. So it’s exciting. And they’re small market teams and it means a lot to the fans, so it’s pretty cool to see the atmosphere and see how hard they compete.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Sat right behind Matas Buzelis last night! <a href="https://t.co/UFwyAkLjJP">pic.twitter.com/UFwyAkLjJP</a></p><p>— Andrea (@queenandi412) <a href="https://twitter.com/queenandi412/status/1933963100467945636?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 14, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The Oklahoma City Thunder won 68 games during the regular season and 14 here in the postseason, making them one of the rare teams to eclipse 100 total wins in a season. Now just two games away from the franchise’s first NBA Championship, Buzelis is intrigued by the Thunder’s camaraderie and togetherness throughout their journey.</p><p>“Man, I mean it’s honestly been incredible what they do there,” the Bulls rookie told ClutchPoints of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder. “They’re so close together as a team. They’re like all family and they all play well together. I think they all know their role. They have Shai of course who is the head of the snake, and then J-Dub [Jalen Williams] is right there, so it’s just like their team is built very organically if you know what I mean. It’s exciting to see what they can do and we’ll see if they pull it out.”</p><p>On the other end, the Indiana Pacers have had a postseason run that no one outside of the Hoosier State believed was even possible. As a Central Division rival, Buzelis and his Bulls saw a lot of Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers throughout the NBA season.</p><p>“I knew they were tough from playing them this year,” Buzelis told ClutchPoints of the Pacers. “Their pace, the speed they play at, the physicality, the defensive intensity. Their coach, Rick Carlisle, of course is a very smart guy. They just know how to play together, as a team, and they don’t press anything. They don’t take tough shots. They’re all on the same page and it’s cool to see that.”</p><p>During NBA Finals Media Day, <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1933563765821485282">Buzelis was able to ask players</a> questions for the first time as a member of the media. It’s a role he’s definitely not ruling himself out of now that he’s been able to experience it.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">What's the most "T.J. McConnell play" each of the Pacers has seen? </p><p>Player correspondent Matas Buzelis got to the bottom of it 😂 <a href="https://t.co/nLcTbIo2r0">https://t.co/nLcTbIo2r0</a> <a href="https://t.co/MU16lHgkaV">pic.twitter.com/MU16lHgkaV</a></p><p>— NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1933563765821485282?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 13, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“Oh, yeah, I don’t close any doors!” Buzelis added of his post-NBA playing career plans. “I’m looking for all opportunities. And, you know, whatever happens, happens. I’d definitely like to be a reporter. But you know, if there’s other jobs — maybe coaching — I’ll do that. So, we’ll see in the future.”</p><p>The 2025 NBA Finals will continue on Monday night when the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers play Game 5 of the championship round. The winner of Game 5 will take a 3-2 series lead and be just one win away from securing their respective franchise’s first NBA Championship.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Bulls’ Matas Buzelis reacts to Thunder-Pacers NBA Finals

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/nba-finals-news-dyson-daniels-matas-buzelis-highlight-correspondents-for-thunder-pacers');   ga('set', 'title', 'Dyson Daniels, Matas Buzelis highlight NBA Finals correspondents for Thunder-Pacers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Jared-McCain-Philadephia-76ers-Matas-Buzelis-Chicago-Bulls-Jaime-Jaquez-Jr.-Miami-Heat-Dyson-Daniels-Atlanta-Hawks-NBA-Finals.jpg"></figure><h1>Dyson Daniels, Matas Buzelis highlight NBA Finals correspondents for Thunder-Pacers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-03T09:12:55-07:00">June 3rd, 9:12am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-03T10:04:46-07:00">June 3rd, 10:04am</time><address><a>Tomer Azarly</a>Tomer Azarly is in his ninth season as the LA Clippers beat writer and NBA reporter for ClutchPoints. From the Lob City era to the Kawhi Leonard-James Harden era, he brings you everything you need to know about the Clippers as well as coast-to-coast coverage of the NBA.In his free time, Tomer likes to play basketball, video games, and draw.You can follow his Twitter and Instagram for all Clippers content.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers are set to face off in the 2025 NBA Finals. One of the best programs the league puts together throughout the Finals are the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/orlando-magic/magic-news-paolo-banchero-speaks-on-nba-finals-shaq-vs-dwight-in-exclusive-interview">player correspondents</a> who get to attend and cover an NBA Finals game while getting a taste for the championship-level environment.</p><p>In the last few seasons, we’ve seen some of the leagues biggest and brightest stars like Tyrese Maxey, Donovan Mitchell, and Paolo Banchero attend the NBA Finals and experience what it’s like to be a reporter on the scene.</p><p>This year, the NBA is going with some more big names as correspondents for the Finals.</p><h2><b>Dyson Daniels, Matas Buzelis highlight NBA Finals Correspondents for Thunder-Pacers</b></h2><p>The 2025 NBA Finals will see <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1929932151924916679" rel="noopener">four rising stars</a> play the part of Correspondents for the league in the first four games of the series.</p><p>Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels, Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis, Miami Heat guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr., and Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain were the four players selected to be correspondents for the NBA Finals.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Introducing the NBA Player Correspondents for the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAFinals?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAFinals</a> presented by <a href="https://twitter.com/YouTubeTV?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@YouTubeTV</a> 🎙️</p><p>Jared McCain (Game 1), Jaime Jaquez Jr. (Game 2), Dyson Daniels (Game 3), and Matas Buzelis (Game 4) will be on the ground giving inside access from Oklahoma City and Indiana, beginning… <a href="https://t.co/caDpRWj6iK">pic.twitter.com/caDpRWj6iK</a></p><p>— NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1929932151924916679?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 3, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The Atlanta Hawks may have struggled this year, but Dyson Daniels put forth a career year en route to being named the 2024-25 Most Improved Player of the Year. Daniels was also the 2024-25 steals champ and was named to the 2024-25 All-Defensive Team.</p><p>Matas Buzelis averaging 15.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 53.5 percent from the field and 50 percent from three. The Bulls forward was named to the 2024-25 All-Rookie Team.</p><p>Miami Heat guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. was named to the 2023-24 All-Rookie Team, but struggled to find a consistent role in what was a rocky season thanks to the Jimmy Butler trade request.</p><p>Sixers’ rookie Jared McCain only played 23 games this season before suffering a torn meniscus in December, officially ending his season. In those 23 games, McCain averaged 15.3 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game while shooting 46 percent from the field and 38.3 percent from three.</p><p>This year’s NBA Finals will also feature a number of players who have already participated as NBA Finals correspondents, including Myles Turner and Bennedict Mathurin of the Indiana Pacers as well as Jalen Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder.</p><p>Turner completed his in 2016, where he interviewed Richard Jefferson and Harrison Barnes during the media availability between Games 3 and 4.</p><p>Mathurin and Williams both took part in the Nuggets-Heat NBA Finals in 2023, with Mathurin covering the first media day and Game 1 while <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-jalen-williams-speaks-on-rookie-season-nba-finals-kobe-bryant">Williams covered the third</a> media day and Game 3.</p><p>The full list of players who have participated includes:</p><p>– CJ McCollum<br>– Jabari Smith Jr.<br>– Amen and Ausar Thompson<br>– Keyonte George<br>– Brandin Podziemski<br>– Scottie Barnes<br>– Tyrese Maxey<br>– Donovan Mitchell<br>– Deandre Ayton<br>– Jaren Jackson Jr.<br>– Paolo Banchero<br>– Walker Kessler</p><p>Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Thunder and Pacers is set to tip off on Thursday night at 8:30PM EST.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Dyson Daniels, Matas Buzelis highlight NBA Finals correspondents for Thunder-Pacers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/chicago-bulls/bulls-news-matas-buzelis-instant-mood-after-all-rookie-honor');   ga('set', 'title', 'Matas Buzelis’ instant ‘mood’ after All-Rookie honor');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Matas-Buzelis.jpg"><figcaption>© David Banks-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Matas Buzelis’ instant ‘mood’ after All-Rookie honor</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-20T14:00:10-07:00">May 20th, 2:00pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-20T14:00:10-07:00">May 20th, 2:00pm</time><address><a>Scotty White</a>Scotty White is a graduate of the University of Michigan and has been in the sports journalism industry since 2020. He has covered athletics at the University of Michigan and is now serving as an Associate Editor, Chicago Bulls beat writer, and Michigan football reporter at ClutchPoints.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Chicago Bulls</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Chicago Bulls rookie <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/chicago-bulls/bulls-news-billy-donovan-applauds-matas-buzelis-mindset-first-career-double-double">Matas Buzelis had a big first season in the NBA</a>, and his high level of play earned him an impressive honor on Tuesday. The NBA released it’s All-Rookie teams, and Buzelis was selected to the Second Team. Buzelis was joined by Kel’el Ware, Yves Missi, Donovan Clingan and Bub Carrington.</p><p>“The NBA announced today that Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis has been named to the 2024-25 NBA All-Rookie Second Team,” the Bulls said in a press release. “Buzelis is the 26th Bulls player to receive All-Rookie honors, the most by any NBA franchise.”</p><p>Matas Buzelis took to Instagram to celebrate this tremendous honor. He <a href="https://x.com/BN_Bulls/status/1924916684684451855" rel="noopener">shared a video</a> of Lonzo Ball screaming “I feel like I’m on top of the world,” when he found out that he made the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Matas Buzelis’ story after making All-Rookie Second Team has me 💀💀</p><p>(matasbuzelis | IG) <a href="https://t.co/RnGkizV4KO">pic.twitter.com/RnGkizV4KO</a></p><p>— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) <a href="https://twitter.com/BN_Bulls/status/1924916684684451855?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 20, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The Bulls selected Matas Buzelis with the 11th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, and that pick worked out well for them as Buzelis was a major contributor in year one. It took a little bit of time for Buzelis to earn a starting role, but he did end up in the starting lineup in 31 out of the 80 games that he played in this past season.</p><p>Buzelis finished the year averaging 8.6 points per game, 3.5 rebounds per game and 1.0 assists per game. He shot 45.4% from the floor and 36.1% from three.</p><p>Matas Buzelis showed a ton of promise during his rookie season, and the Bulls have to be feeling good about the trajectory that he is on. He was an all-around player this past season that improved in a lot of different ways, and he got better as the season went on. Once he started earning consistent starts, his numbers increased a lot, so if he gets the same amount of minutes next season for the whole year, we should see a good leap in year two.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Matas Buzelis’ instant ‘mood’ after All-Rookie honor

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/chicago-bulls/bulls-news-billy-donovan-applauds-matas-buzelis-mindset-first-career-double-double');   ga('set', 'title', 'Bulls’ Billy Donovan applauds Matas Buzelis’ mindset after first career double-double');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Matas-Buzelis.jpg"><figcaption>© Matt Marton-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Bulls’ Billy Donovan applauds Matas Buzelis’ mindset after first career double-double</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-04T20:03:31-07:00">April 4th, 8:03pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-04T20:03:31-07:00">April 4th, 8:03pm</time><address><a>Scotty White</a>Scotty White is a graduate of the University of Michigan and has been in the sports journalism industry since 2020. He has covered athletics at the University of Michigan and is now serving as an Associate Editor, Chicago Bulls beat writer, and Michigan football reporter at ClutchPoints.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Chicago Bulls</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>CHICAGO- The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/betting/trail-blazers-vs-bulls-prediction-odds-pick-spread-4-4-2025">Chicago Bulls picked up a big win at home on Friday night over the Portland Trail Blazers</a>, and Chicago is now back in ninth place in the Eastern Conference. Rookie Matas Buzelis picked a great game for his first career double-double as a late three helped lift the Bulls to a <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/recap/_/gameId/401705688" rel="noopener">118-113 win</a>, and it put him in double figures to secure the first-time feat. Buzelis finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds.</p><p>Matas Buzelis airballed a three-pointer late in the fourth quarter, but he still had the confidence to shoot the next one. The next one just so happened to give the Bulls a five-point lead with under two minutes to go. Not a lot of rookies would’ve been able to attempt such a big shot just one minute after a horrid miss, but Buzelis is different.</p><p>“After the airball, you could tell, he was upset. He’s not really afraid of the moment,” Bulls head coach Billy Donovan told the media after the game. “Whatever he did to course-correct there, give himself an opportunity to make that one, and he did, but he’s always kind of leaned into stuff. A lot of young players think that sometimes mistakes are not part of the growth and development piece.”</p><p>Mistakes are just part of the game at this stage of Buzelis’ career. He knows that they are unavoidable, and he doesn’t shy away from them.</p><p>“… It doesn’t distract him, it doesn’t discourage him, it doesn’t get him down,” Donovan continued. “He has a really good mindset about, ‘That’s how I have to get better. I gotta be able to go through this, and then I have to be able to learn from it.’ I give him credit for, one, taking the one he missed, but then also taking the next one. I think that showed great toughness for him, and the belief that our team has in him, the fact that they threw it to him again.”</p><p>Every game down the stretch is big for the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/chicago-bulls/chicago-bulls-dream-nightmare-seeding-matchup-scenarios-2025-nba-playoffs">Bulls as they battle for seeding</a> in the Eastern Conference. They are currently tied with the Miami Heat, but the Bulls own the tiebreaker. The difference between ninth and 10th place is a big one as home-court advantage is on the line. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/chicago-bulls/bulls-news-coby-white-blessed-take-chicago-clinching-play-in-spot">These last five regular season games for the Bulls are huge</a>.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Bulls’ Billy Donovan applauds Matas Buzelis’ mindset after first career double-double

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/chicago-bulls/bulls-news-matas-buzelis-best-player-ever-message-billy-donovan-career-game');   ga('set', 'title', 'Bulls’ Matas Buzelis reveals ‘best player ever’ message to Billy Donovan after career game');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Bulls-news-Matas-Buzelis-reveals-best-player-ever-message-to-Billy-Donovan-after-career-game.jpg"></figure><h1>Bulls’ Matas Buzelis reveals ‘best player ever’ message to Billy Donovan after career game</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-23T12:05:16-07:00">March 23rd, 12:05pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-23T12:52:34-07:00">March 23rd, 12:52pm</time><address><a>Derek Hryn</a>Derek Hryn is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints specializing in NFL and NCAA Football coverage. Derek was previously a fantasy football expert at DK and SB Nation, and he has been featured at FanSided, USA Today, NBC Sports, The New York Post, and others.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Chicago Bulls</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Chicago Bulls defeated the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-jj-redick-blasts-worst-defense-146-points-bulls">Los Angeles Lakers 146-115 on Saturday</a>, with Matas Buzelis recording 31 points on 5-of-10 shooting from three.</p><p>The No. 11 pick of the 2024 NBA Draft has <a href="https://x.com/KCJHoop/status/1903681998641877100" rel="noopener">bigger goals</a> than what was expected from him in his rookie campaign, per K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network.</p><p>“I told Billy (Donovan) that I want to be pushed to the limit. I want to be the best player ever. That’s just how I think. He has done a great job holding me accountable. And I thank him. When he takes me out for a mistake, I get better”</p><p>Buzelis is averaging 7.7 points on 44.1 percent shooting and 3.1 rebounds, as Chicago attempts to make a run in the second half of the NBA regular season at 31-40 and ninth in the Eastern Conference.</p><h2><b>Matas Buzelis’ takes first season to another level in Bulls win</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Matas-Buzelis.jpg"><figcaption>Matt Marton-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The 20-year-old forward has scored at a bit of a streaky pace over the last five appearances. Following two consecutive five-point outings, Buzelis’ potential was finally put on display against the greatest player in the world.</p><p>Buzelis discussed <a href="https://heavy.com/sports/nba/chicago-bulls/buzelis-honest-lakers-james-historic-career-donovan/" rel="noopener">his matchup</a> with <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-lebron-james-destiny-take-31-point-loss-bulls">Lakers star forward LeBron James</a>, per Heavy.com.</p><p>“I think it was good,” <a href="https://x.com/CHSN_Bulls/status/1903687137033166967" rel="noopener external">Buzelis told reporters</a> on March 23. “Honestly, he didn’t really shoot much against me. I think he shot one time against me, in the mid-range. So I’d say it was a good job.  But he’s a great player, so he’s gonna get, what he’s gonna get.”</p><p>Donovan and the Bulls are working through a rebuild, with Buzelis at the forefront of the plan. Coby White and Josh Giddey are also playing great basketball, suddenly looking like a team that could make some noise in the postseason. While they will likely have to dig themselves out of the play-in tournament at this rate, the Bulls are no longer a doormat in the East.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
8.6	3.5	1.0	0.9	0.4

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
8.6	3.5	1.0	0.9	0.4

Matas Buzelis

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Bulls’ Matas Buzelis reveals ‘best player ever’ message to Billy Donovan after career game

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