Feb. 12, 2026, 3:01 p.m. ET
It was not just Anfernee Simons facing his former team when the Boston Celtics blew out the Chicago Bulls 124-105 at TD Garden, with the player the former Boston reserve guard, former Bulls big man Nikola Vucevic, having an unusually rapid shot at a revenge game.
And unlike Simons, who only managed to log 7 points in his first faceoff with the Celtics, Vooch did have a modicum of revenge in the win, putting up 19 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and 2 blocks. The Montenegrin center opened up about the dynamic he experienced taking on Chicago for the first time since his days with the Orlando Magic postgame, saying “I was there for five years. I established a lot of great relationships with a lot of people within the organization.”
“A lot of players I spent my time there with, some got traded as well, some of them were injured,” added the now-Celtics center.
“It was a weird feeling because I was just on that team and now I’m here, it just happened so quick,” said Vucevic. “It was great to see all those people, a lot of great people in that organization. A lot of relationships that I, even when basketball is over, that you have for the rest of your life.”
“So, it was good to see them. It was fun to win the game, so they can talk a little bit of trash. So yeah, it was great to see them, I’m happy that I got a chance to see them.”
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