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Northwestern guard Boo Buie, left, passes the ball as New Jersey Institute of Technology guard Antwuan Butler looks on during the second half Sunday. | Nam Y. Huh/AP

Ryan Young had 13 points and nine rebounds for the Wildcats.

Ryan Young had 13 points and nine rebounds, Chase Audige added 11 points, and Northwestern defeated New Jersey Institute of Technology 70-52 on Sunday at Welsh-Ryan Arena.

Pete Nance added 10 points and Boo Buie had seven assists for the Wildcats (7-2), who improved to 5-0 at home.

Northwestern led by more than 20 for much of the second half but was unable to extend its lead through the final minutes. The Wildcats were 22 of 42 inside the arc but made only 5 of 20 from 3-point range for 44% overall. They had only six turnovers, compared to 16 for NJIT.

Northwestern held the Highlanders to three points over the first eight minutes of the second half as the Wildcats’ 35-23 halftime lead ballooned to 49-26.

By the time NJIT’s Miles Coleman hit a 3-pointer with 9:38 remaining in the second half, he had scored 20 of his team’s 34 points. Coleman finished with 20 points and Matt Faw added 13 for the Highlanders (5-5).

The Highlanders made only 5 of 27 two-point tries and shot 29% overall. They made 11 of 28 3-pointers.

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Denver Broncos offensive tackle Garett Bolles (72) kneels at a tribute to former Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas. | Jack Dempsey/AP

Denver honored the memory of Demaryius Thomas with tributes before the game.

DENVER — The Denver Broncos honored the memory of Demaryius Thomas with tributes, decals and a 38-10 walloping of the Detroit Lions on Sunday.

Running backs Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon each scored a pair of touchdowns and Dre’Mont Jones had a monster game that included two sacks of Jared Goff.

Several Broncos arrived at the stadium wearing No. 88 jerseys and kicker Brandon McManus wore custom cleats featuring Thomas’ famous mile-wide smile. The retired receiver died at his Georgia home on Thursday at age 33.

About an hour before kickoff, local artist Armando Silva delivered a portrait of Thomas which he painted in the parking lot to the Broncos’ locker room. That was followed by a pregame moment of silence and a video tribute featuring Thomas’ 80-yard touchdown catch from Tim Tebow on the first play of overtime against the Steelers on Jan. 8, 2012.

Then, the Broncos (7-6) took the field with just 10 men in honor of Thomas. The Lions (1-11-1) declined the delay of game penalty.

The Broncos then recorded just their second opening-drive touchdown in 29 games under embattled offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur with Williams scoring from 5 yards out, carrying safeties Dean Marlowe and Jalen Elliott across the goal line with him.

Gordon’s 1-yard TD run after a three-and-out by Detroit made it 14-0, and the first quarter ended with the Broncos holding an 11-0 advantage in first downs and a yardage disparity of 135 to minus-1 in offensive production.

Their fortunes also flipped when the teams switched sides, however, and Goff quickly drove the Lions downfield and hit Kalif Raymond from 7 yards out to cut Detroit’s deficit in half.

The Lions pulled to 14-10 on Riley Patterson’s 36-yard field goal, but the Broncos went into the locker room up 17-10 on McManus’ 52-yarder as the first half expired.

The Lions, coming off their first win but hit hard by COVID-19 last week — they had seven players on the virus list Sunday — coughed up the football on the second snap of the third quarter when Shelby Harris punched the ball from Godwin Igwebuike’s grasp and linebacker Jonathon Cooper recovered at the Detroit 30.

Five plays later, Williams caught a 10-yard TD pass from Teddy Bridgewater, stretching Denver’s lead to 24-10.

Jones had a dominant series on Detroit’s next drive. He dropped Goff for a 9-yard loss on his second sack, stuffed Igwebuike for a 3-yard loss and batted down Goff’s pass on fourth-and-2.

The Broncos took over at the Lions 33 and Gordon ran it in from 14 yards out to make it 31-10. Albert Okwuegbunam’s 4-yard TD catch capped an 88-yard drive late in the fourth quarter.

Denver’s defense also had a goal line stand with safety Kareem Jackson breaking up Goff’s pass to tight end Shane Zylstra on fourth-and-goal from the 4.

Midway through the fourth quarter, safety Justin Simmons picked off a pass and immediately darted to a blue circle on Denver’s sideline and placed the ball in the middle of “88” stenciled in white paint as teammates respectfully gathered around in a subdued celebration of Simmons’ fifth interception of the season, which tied a career high.

ONE-TWO PUNCH

Gordon, who missed last week’s loss at Kansas City with shoulder and hip injuries, gained 111 yards on 24 carries and Williams ran for 73 yards on 15 attempts to go with his 10-yard TD grab.

COVID SUBS

Among the slew of players promoted from the Lions practice squad over the weekend was running back Craig Reynolds, who was promoted to add depth at the depleted position with D’Andre Swift missing a second consecutive game with a shoulder injury. Reynolds ran for 83 yards on 11 carries Sunday.

INJURIES

The Lions lost CB Jerry Jacobs (knee) and LB Alex Anzalone (ankle) in the game. Several Broncos were banged up but all returned to action.

UP NEXT

The Lions host the Arizona Cardinals on Dec. 19.

The Broncos host the Cincinnati Bengals on Dec. 19.

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Oak Forest’s Taurean Mickens (44), Fred Robinson IV (5), Jack Holubecki (10), Robbie Avila (21) and Drew Pagnusat (24) react during the game against Lane. | Kirsten Stickney/For the Sun-Times

Scores and highlights from all 12 games at Mount Carmel this weekend.

Orr 71, Tinley Park 62: Senior Leontae Lilly turned in one of the day’s best performances. The point guard scored 26 and spearheaded the offense for the Spartans (5-1). Cam Lawin added 20 points.

Orr won a game in Tennessee last night and picked up forfeit loss (Clark) and a forfeit win (Farragut) during the week.

The roller coaster season continues for the Titans (4-6). Nick Harrell scored 15.

Brother Rice 55, Joliet West 44: This wasn’t as close as the score indicates. The Crusaders controlled the game from start to finish. Joliet West made a late charge after the Brother Rice starters were pulled.

Junior Ahmad Henderson led the Crusaders (8-1) with 16 points and Khalil Ross added 11 points and four rebounds. Nine players scored for Brother Rice, which also knocked off Marist and Marian Catholic during the week.

Joliet West sophomore Justus McNair scored 14 points and junior Jayden Martin added 10 points and five rebounds. Freshman Jeremiah Fears finished with 14 points.

I’m hearing that Toby Onyekonwu may hear on Tuesday if he’s eligible to play for the Tigers (4-5) this season. The Plainfield East transfer is a high-scoring senior guard. He’d make an instant impact for Joliet West, which hosts Bloom on Tuesday.

De La Salle 51, Farragut 37: This one was not pretty. The teams combined for more than 50 turnovers and the Admirals spent most of the first half missing free throws.

It’s a much-needed win for the Meteors (3-6). DJ Bates continues his solid senior season with 17 points and big man Evan Jackson scored 10.

Farragut, which forfeited two games this week due to a fight in the game against Clemente, falls to (1-4).

Mount Carmel 61, Westinghouse 48: The host school wins the Sunday morning opener. DeAndre Craig led the Caravan with 20 points. Anthony Ciaravino added 14 and Elijah Joner scored 12.

Mount Carmel had a solid week with wins against De La Salle, Marist and Providence-St. Mel to improve to 10-0.

Westinghouse sophomore Askia Bullie opened some eyes. He finished with 14 points and senior Joshua West added 14. The Warriors fall to 3-6.

Sunday’s schedule:

Orr vs. Tinley Park, 3:30

Curie vs. Leo, 5

Notre Dame vs. Clark, 6:30

Saturday’s games

Glenbard West 51, Hillcrest 48: Glenbard West’s celebrated length almost met its match. Hillcrest’s aggressive bigs, led by senior Marcus Glover, out-rebounded the Hilltoppers and took them to the limit in the Team Rose Classic at Mount Carmel on Saturday.

But size impacts the game all over the court. Braden Huff, the 6-11 Gonzaga recruit, blocked a Hillcrest shot attempt at the rim in the final seconds.

Yorkville Christian 77, Hyde Park 61: Duke recruit Jaden Schutt scored 15 consecutive points in the second quarter for the Mustangs. He finished with 35 points and nine rebounds.

The game was close for three quarters but Yorkville Christian buckled down on defense and held Hyde Park (4-3) to just to baskets in the fourth quarter.

KJ Vassar added 15 points for the Mustangs (6-4) and David Douglas Jr. scored eight.

Davontae Hall (17 points) led a balances scoring attack for the Thunderbirds. Byron Hobbs Jr. scored 16 and Cam Williford added 14.

Bloom 50, Evanston 48: What a weekend for the Blazing Trojans. Wins over Thornton and the Wildkits.

This game wasn’t pretty. Bloom was just 2-for-9 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter.

Raeshom Harris scored 15 for the Blazing Trojans (6-2) and 6-9 senior Emondrek Ford added 11 points and eight rebounds. Bloom led 41-30 after three quarters. Evanston (6-2) pulled within 47-45 with 1:57 on a rebound and basket by junior Prince Adams (14 points, 10 rebounds).

The Wildkits didn’t manage a bucket after that until Evanston’s Rashawn Bost (14 points) drained a three at the buzzer.

North Lawndale 60, Lincoln-Way East 57: The Phoenix held off Lincoln-Way East courtesy of some late-game heroics from juniors Damarion Wyatt and Aidon Parker.

Wyatt’s driving layup with 13 seconds to play put North Lawndale ahead 58-57. Parker grabbed a key rebound off a missed free throw on the next possession, was fouled and made two free throws to seal the win.

Junior Ronald Chambers led the Phoenix (5-4) with 22 points and Parker finished with 11.

Tylon Tolliver led the Griffins (1-7) with 19 points and George Bellevue added 14 points and eight rebounds.

Oak Forest 80, Lane 60: There is a universal appreciation for Robbie Avila’s game that is uncommon. Opposing coaches, referees and fans marvel at the way Oak Forest’s 6-8 senior plays basketball.

His mind always appears to be a few steps ahead of everyone else on the court. And he has the skills to pull off his vision.

“It’s amazing how he runs our team,” Bengals coach Matt Manzke said. “He brings the whole program to another level. There’s been multiple times this year where he’s suggested that we need to do something different on the court. And we do it and it’s the right thing to do.”

Avila, an Indiana State recruit, had 30 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and four steals in Oak Forest’s win against Lane on Saturday.

Riverside-Brookfield 78, Romeoville 50: The Bulldogs opened the third quarter with a 14-4 run and dominated the second half.

John Paul Hanley scored 26 and Joevonn McCottry added 18. Meyoh Swansey led Romeoville with 14 points.

The Bulldogs are now 8-1 and the only loss was a close game to Curie. The Spartans fall to 5-3.

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The Bulls’ Zach LaVine has joined eight teammates in the NBA coronavirus protocols. | Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

The organization was waiting to see if the NBA would step in Sunday and possibly postpone upcoming games, but that doesn’t seem likely. Nine players are in the league protocols.

It was a distinction that Nikola Vucevic could wear proudly.

“I’m the safest guy to be around,” the Bulls center insisted, following the Saturday loss to the Heat in Miami.

As of Sunday, he might be the only one when it comes to his franchise.

The Bulls confirmed that Zach LaVine and Troy Brown Jr. became the eighth and ninth players on the roster to be put in the league’s coronavirus health and safety protocols, after the team tested before getting on the flight from Miami.

The two joined Coby White, Javonte Green, DeMar DeRozan, Matt Thomas, Derrick Jones Jr., Stanley Johnson and Ayo Dosunmu, as well as broadcasters Stacey King and Bill Wennington.

According to a source close to the situation, the Bulls were waiting to see if the NBA would change its current stance with postponing games, but it wasn’t leaning in that direction considering the Bulls still have nine eligible players for the Tuesday game with Detroit, and could have both White and Green back for that home game.

The NBA has been very adamant in allowing hardship roster exemptions, and if a team has the numbers the game goes on, no matter which big-named players are sidelined.

So why does Vucevic feel somewhat untouchable?

The center had the coronavirus last month, and the science has always indicated that those that were positive have immunity for a 60-to-90 day window. At least that’s what Vucevic was counting on in a time where there seems to be little to count on.

“I don’t want to say something and start a crazy conspiracy, but [the entire team] got vaccinated, most of us have been boostered,” Vucevic said. “I didn’t get boostered yet because I had it, so I’m like in the best position for 60-to-90 days or whatever it is, I’m cleared of everything.

“Your team tests when you have cases and guys pop up. For me for example, if I would have never tested I would have never known I was positive because I didn’t really have any symptoms. I had symptoms like if I had a little cold. You just have to deal with it. It just sucks that when you get it you have to be out for 10 days and there’s nothing you can do about it. You’ve just got to work your way back. When there’s a lot of guys like this at once it’s hard.”

The Bulls were off on Sunday, but were scheduled to practice Monday. That could be in doubt, however.

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The Chicago Bulls‘ team-wide COVID-19 outbreak continued to spread further on Sunday, when Zach LaVine and Troy Brown Jr. entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols.

Their additions, announced by the team, bring the Bulls’ total to nine players in the league’s COVID-19 protocols since the start of the month.

LaVine and Brown join DeMar DeRozan, Coby White, Javonte Green, Matt Thomas, Derrick Jones Jr., Ayo Dosunmu and Stanley Johnson as players sidelined right now. Bulls broadcasters Stacey King and Bill Wennington are also at home in isolation due to the league’s protocols. Players who enter health and safety protocols must quarantine for 10 days or until they return two negative PCR tests within a 24-hour window.

The Bulls were off Sunday and do not play again until they host the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night, but the team had not heard anything to indicate that game was in jeopardy of being postponed.

The NBA mandates a minimum of eight players for each team before postponing a game during team outbreaks, and Chicago currently has nine players available on its roster, including its two two-way players and Alfonzo McKinnie, who signed a 10-day contract Friday.

McKinnie was signed after the Bulls were granted extra roster spots due to the league’s hardship exception and the Bulls are eligible to continue adding players by that provision. However, the team’s outbreak has been so widespread that even one of the players they signed as a hardship exception, Johnson, has already landed in the health and safety protocols.

Both White and Green will have completed their mandatory 10-day isolation after a positive test last week, so they could be eligible to rejoin the team for Tuesday’s game. White is returning to the team’s facility Sunday for the first time since testing positive for COVID-19 on Dec. 1, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Because the Bulls have positive cases, their players are required to test every day. Current guidelines don’t require players on many teams to be tested daily. Players who are vaccinated — but have not received a booster — will be tested on game days beginning Friday. Unvaccinated players are required to test daily, and Johnson & Johnson vaccinated players without a booster were required to begin gameday testing earlier this month.

The NBA says 97% of its players are vaccinated, and sources told Wojnarowski more than 60% of players have received the booster.

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The Chicago Bulls‘ team-wide COVID-19 outbreak continued to spread further on Sunday, when Zach LaVine and Troy Brown Jr. entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols.

Their additions, announced by the team, bring the Bulls’ total to nine players in the league’s COVID-19 protocols since the start of the month.

LaVine and Brown join DeMar DeRozan, Coby White, Javonte Green, Matt Thomas, Derrick Jones Jr., Ayo Dosunmu and Stanley Johnson as players sidelined right now. Bulls broadcasters Stacey King and Bill Wennington are also at home in isolation due to the league’s protocols. Players who enter health and safety protocols must quarantine for 10 days or until they return two negative PCR tests within a 24-hour window.

The Bulls were off Sunday and do not play again until they host the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night, but the team had not heard anything to indicate that game was in jeopardy of being postponed.

The NBA mandates a minimum of eight players for each team before postponing a game during team outbreaks, and Chicago currently has nine players available on its roster, including its two two-way players and Alfonzo McKinnie, who signed a 10-day contract Friday.

McKinnie was signed after the Bulls were granted extra roster spots due to the league’s hardship exception and the Bulls are eligible to continue adding players by that provision. However, the team’s outbreak has been so widespread that even one of the players they signed as a hardship exception, Johnson, has already landed in the health and safety protocols.

Both White and Green will have completed their mandatory 10-day isolation after a positive test last week, so they could be eligible to rejoin the team for Tuesday’s game. White is returning to the team’s facility Sunday for the first time since testing positive for COVID-19 on Dec. 1, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Because the Bulls have positive cases, their players are required to test every day. Current guidelines don’t require players on many teams to be tested daily. Players who are vaccinated — but have not received a booster — will be tested on game days beginning Friday. Unvaccinated players are required to test daily, and Johnson & Johnson vaccinated players without a booster were required to begin gameday testing earlier this month.

The NBA says 97% of its players are vaccinated, and sources told Wojnarowski more than 60% of players have received the booster.

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Riley Stillman has become an NHL regular for the Blackhawks this season. | Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

After a few years of bouncing in and out of the Panthers’ lineup, Stillman’s trade to the Hawks last April has proven “huge” for his career.

At the time, the Blackhawks and Panthers’ five-player trade in April appeared designed around giving Henrik Borgstrom a second shot in the NHL.

The Hawks absorbed Brett Connolly’s contract to make it work. They relinquished Lucas Carlsson and received Riley Stillman in a seemingly even but irrelevant swap of depth defensemen. Lucas Wallmark was a throw-in. But acquiring Borgstrom, a former top prospect, seemed like an interesting and worthwhile risk by then-general manager Stan Bowman.

Less than a year later, however, Stillman has emerged as arguably the most important part of the trade.

Borgstrom hasn’t made much impact yet in his NHL return. Connolly is in the AHL and Wallmark is in Russia. Carlsson has looked decent for the Panthers, but in only 10 appearances this season. Bowman is gone, too. Among the bunch, it is Stillman who has become the most successful every-night player.

In Florida, he often rotated in and out of the NHL lineup, playing in just eight of 40 possible games last season before the trade.

In Chicago, he has played in 29 of 42 possible games, and most of his absences have been because of COVID-19 or injury, not coaches’ decisions. And he still has 2.5 years left — at a $1.35 million cap hit — on the extension he signed over the summer.

The 23-year-old son of former star forward Cory Stillman is not a star himself, and probably never will be, but he has evolved into a reliable role player thanks to his defensive abilities and physicality.

“[The trade] been great for me, career-wise,” Stillman said Saturday. “It was the best thing that could’ve happened to me, coming in and being given an opportunity to take. I’ve just taken things day-by-day.”

Stillman’s momentum nearly derailed Nov. 21 against the Canucks, when Erik Gustafsson — with whom he has developed some chemistry on the third pair — fell on the back of his left leg. Stillman immediately left the game, hobbled and in pain; it looked serious.

But after a few days of uncertainty, an MRI on his knee revealed no serious injury after all. He returned to practice just a week later and eventually missed only five games.

“It was touch-and-go at the start, just with getting the brace in and making sure I was feeling good,” he said. “I’m counting my blessings that it was just a short stint.”

With that behind him, Stillman enters the Hawks’ three-game homestand this week allowing the fewest opponent scoring chances and expected goals (per 60 minutes at even strength) among all team defensemen.

Although the Hawks don’t generate much offensively during his ice time, either — and he touts just three points, all assists, to his name — he’s fulfilling his assigned duties well. He also leads Hawks defensemen in hits per 60 minutes, at 10.5; Jake McCabe, at 6.9, ranks a distant second. And he’s doing it all with tireless enthusiasm.

“I always say he’s like a junior player,” interim coach Derek King said. “Your first year playing junior hockey, you’re all over the ice and you’re blocking everything, you’re fighting everything, you’re doing anything you can to stay on your junior team. He brings that to our team, and it’s fun to watch.”

Stillman personally believes he’s still developing, still has another level he can reach.

Given his subtle but significant rise in status over the past year, there’s no reason to doubt him. Quietly, he has become one of the Hawks’ more cost-effective additions of 2021.

“To move forward, I want to…grow my game overall so I can be a steady, full-blown defenseman, so I can be in the lineup every day and there’s no question [about it],” he said. “I want to add more offense, being the fourth guy producing and stuff like that. But realistically, too, I’m focused on taking care of my own zone first.”

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Two people were killed in a crash Dec. 12, 2021, near Edgewater. | Sun-Times file

The men were inside a vehicle, traveling at a high rate of speed in the 5300 block of North Lake Shore Drive when they struck a tree and the car caught on fire, Chicago police said.

Two people were killed in a vehicle crash Sunday afternoon near Edgewater on the North Side.

About 12:45 p.m., the pair was inside a vehicle, traveling at a high rate of speed in the 5300 block of North Lake Shore Drive, Chicago police said.

The vehicle then struck a tree and caught on fire, police said.

One man, whose age was unknown, was taken to Illinois Masonic Hospital. The other man, 24, was transported to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston. Both men were pronounced dead, police said.

They have not yet been identified.

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A worker at World Vision’s warehouse in the South Austin neighborhood loads a semi-truck with relief supplies on Sunday, December 12, 2021. | Tom Schuba/Chicago Sun-Times

A truckload of food, personal protective equipment, heaters, blankets, diapers and toys was being sent to Louisville Sunday after a devastating and potentially historic tornado tore through multiple states in the middle of the country, including Illinois.

In the wake of a devastating and potentially historic tornado that tore through Illinois and other states in the middle of the country this weekend, workers Sunday morning at a nonprofit’s South Austin warehouse loaded a semi-truck with relief supplies destined for storm-battered Kentucky.

World Vision, a Christian humanitarian organization focused on addressing poverty and injustice, prepares for these types of disasters by stocking up on some of the items that were being shipped to a church in Louisville, like food, personal protective equipment, heaters, blankets, diapers and even Lego sets and other toys.

“It’s holiday time, and there are children who are affected who can’t do anything, so sometimes just being able to give them a toy, something to hold onto to comfort them at this time, is definitely an added bonus.” said Perrise Thomas, a partner coordinator at World Vision.

Tom Schuba/Chicago Sun-Times
Perrise Thomas, a partner coordinator at World Vision, stands inside the nonprofit’s South Austin warehouse on Sunday, December 12, 2021.

Between Friday night and early Saturday morning, the massive tornado caused 36 confirmed deaths, including at least six people who were killed at an Amazon warehouse in downstate Edwardsville that suffered a direct hit and collapsed.

Kentucky, though, has borne the brunt of the catastrophic event, which could rival the country’s longest tornado on record. At least 22 deaths have been confirmed across the state, though Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has warned the toll could top 100.

Brett Carlsen/Getty Images
Firefighters survey tornado damages in downtown Mayfield on December 11, 2021, in Mayfield, Kentucky.

Headquartered in Washington state, World Vision also operates warehouses in six other states. On Monday, warehouses in Dallas, Texas, and Sewickley, Pennsylvania, plan to make similar relief shipments to Kentucky.

“This is why we do the work that we do,” Thomas said. “It’s unfortunate, and it’s sad to look and see those things, but where it warms our hearts sometimes is just to know that we’re able to provide some type of relief, some type of comfort.”

Contributing: Associated Press

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After another dismal performance in the Saturday loss to Miami, Vucevic admitted that he’s never gone through a slump this bad. His solution to get out of it? Back to the lab for more hard work.

MIAMI – If Nikola Vucevic knew exactly what was broken with his shot it would have been fixed.

That’s how the Bulls big man thinks.

He arrived at an All-Star level through hard work, and his mentality has always been he would stay at that All-Star level with hard work.

That’s why his latest disappointing performance left Vucevic frustrated and searching.

In going 3-for-15 for 10 points in the Saturday one-sided loss to Miami, Vucevic was now shooting 40.4% from the field, as well as 34% from three-point range. Numbers that the 6-foot-11 center is not used to seeing on his stat sheet – ever.

The bigger gut punch for him is he’s been going to the arena for extra shooting, he’s been staying after practices to search for that missing touch, and he continues watching game film of every one of his shots after each game.

“That’s the only way,” Vucevic said, when discussing his plan of even more work to climb out of the current rut. “I got here by working my way up to it. Talent is part of it, but I worked my way to the level that I am, and now that I’m going through a tough time the only way I know is to work myself out of it.”

What was eye-opening in the loss to Miami was not only was the three-pointer continuing to elude him, but even open shots at the rim betrayed him. Sure, there’s been some unusual inconsistencies in the paint for Vucevic this season, but against an under-sized Miami team he was just flat-out bad.

“I got some post-up and hook shots that I’ve made a career of, and nothing was falling for me,” he said. “I look at all the games, and really I don’t have an explanation of what’s going on with my shot. It’s something I was always very consistent with and really good at my whole career – I was always a 50% shooter – so I don’t know.

“It’s just very disappointing for me because I’m trying to just be there for my team and do what I need to try and help us win, and I’m not doing that right now. I’m coming up short for my teammates and that’s the most frustrating part. When you lose and you don’t play well, you feel like it’s even more of your responsibility.”

Billy Donovan’s responsibility in all of this?

The coach remained committed to game-planning through Vucevic like he has all season long, trying to take advantage of his ability to hit from outside, but also be a facilitator at the top of the key.

What Donovan wants to make sure is his veteran doesn’t get caught inside of his own head. That’s not Vucevic’s history, and Donovan doesn’t need it to start now.

“I think he holds himself to a really high standard because he’s done it for a long time at a high level,” Donovan said. “When you do something at a high level for a long time you see a level you feel you should be at, and when you’re not there I think for any person that can get frustrating.

“I think the biggest thing for Vooch that we need from him is maybe in those moments where he maybe feels like, ‘I need to be contributing more to help the team, I need to playing personally at a higher level, what I’m capable of and I’m not doing it,’ we just need him to stay mentally in the game.”

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