Bulls' Doug McDermott Stays In A Groove

By Cody Westerlund--

CHICAGO (CBS) – A 118-102 victory by the Bulls over the hapless Nets on Thursday night at the United Center carried with it an expected result, some typical lapsed concentration by the hosts, some prolonged underwhelming play by the visitors and a notable takeaway by coach Fred Hoiberg.

Second-year wing Doug McDermott is "hunting shots," and the results are speaking for themselves.

McDermott scored a game-high 25 points, topping the 20-point mark for the third straight game – a feat he'd only accomplished twice in his first career 99 games, according to Bulls stats guru Jeff Mangurten. McDermott did so Thursday in 28-plus minutes off the bench and efficient fashion, shooting 8-of-16 and 5-of-8 on 3-pointers.

In Hoiberg's mind, this type of production wasn't an "if" but rather a matter of "when."

"He lives in the gym, and he keeps himself in there," Hoiberg said. "He gets a ton of reps up, and that obviously helps with the confidence. And that's his biggest thing, is when he's out there shooting with confidence. And his teammates have 100 percent confidence in him, and so do the coaches."

McDermott's surge has come at an opportune time for the Bulls, who are battling for a playoff spot. Their win Thursday moved them to 34-33, a half-game ahead of the idle Pistons (34-34) for the eighth slot in the East.

With a never-ending list of injuries – All-Star big man Pau Gasol sat out Thursday and will miss at least the next two games – the Bulls need any semblance of consistency and scoring punch they can get. Shooting 62 percent in the past three games, McDermott's been that player lately.

"Doug's playing with the utmost confidence in the world right now, and I'm happy for him," said Taj Gibson, who had 12 points and six rebounds while playing through hamstring pain. "When he lets the game come to him and then he attacks the game, he's amazing. I've told him before, 'Nobody can really stop you. You can do it all. It's all about believing in yourself, and he's believing in himself. He puts the work in, and we're extremely proud of him too."

Hoiberg cited McDermott's ability to attack the lane and hit floaters too as a reason for his recent surge, as it creates difficult decisions for defenders. McDermott's decision-making has also been good lately, as he's being decisive in shooting, attacking or passing off the catch.

It's the type of play that Hoiberg wants to see in his read-based offense that's designed to stretch and scramble a defense. The next step is to do it more consistently, against better defenses.

Admitting he's in a zone, McDermott -- who averaging 9.7 points and shoots 43 percent on 3-pointers -- believes that will come in time.

"The belief the coaches and the guys on the team have in me and putting me in the right spots, I feel a lot more comfortable," McDermott said.

Cody Westerlund is a sports editor for CBSChicago.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.