The Chicago Bulls needed to pick up an important win today, as they’re barely clinging onto a play-in position. They managed to do it on a collective team effort, which overcame Kevin Durant’s 44-point performance along with Kyrie Irving’s 25 points and eight assists. Seth Curry also had a resurgent game with 22 points, but Brooklyn did not get much production from anyone else on the squad.

Durant was cooking as usual, and he kept the Nets in the game with his ability to score at will.

However, Chicago had an answer down the stretch. Heading into the fourth quarter with a slim three-point lead, the Bulls didn’t let the Nets go on any big runs and maintained the advantage before slowly padding their advantage on the way to a 121-112 victory.

Nikola Vucevic had a big double-double with 21 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and two blocks to lead the way for the Bulls, who had a total of six players score in double figures.

DeMar DeRozan had a tough night from the field, shooting 8 of 20 overall to finish with 22 points, seven rebounds, three assists and a steal, but he used his midrange shot to keep the lead stable for the Bulls in the fourth.

Patrick Williams had a similar stat line to DeRozan, finishing with 22 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals. However, Ayo Dosunmu had the Bulls’ most memorable plays of the game: a chase down block on Kevin Durant. Dosunmu finished with 17 points, seven rebounds, an assists, two steals and a block.

Considering their recent play, the Nets won’t be too disheartened with this loss. Coach Jacque Vaughn’s already put the game behind him, and now we get to see how the Nets respond to the disappointment.