Zach LaVine dribbles the ball against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Jan. 24, 2022 at Paycom Arena in Oklahoma City.

Chicago, one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, had lost six of seven and was coming off a 19-point loss to NBA-worst Orlando. Zach LaVine, who had been out since Jan. 14 with a bruised left knee, was happy to provide a spark.

LaVine scored 23 in his return, Nikola Vucevic had 26 points and 15 rebounds, and the Chicago Bulls withstood a fierce rally by Oklahoma City to beat the Thunder 111-110 on Monday night.

“It felt good,” LaVine said. “I got tired of just sitting at home watching. I’m about as healthy as I can get, but it just sucks sitting at home and not being able to help.”

The Bulls led by 28 points in the third quarter, but the Thunder had a chance to tie it in the closing seconds. Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander missed a 3-pointer that would have evened the score with 2.3 seconds to play.

The Bulls were short-handed. DeMar DeRozan, who averages 26.3 points per game, rested. Lonzo Ball was out with a bruised left knee and Alex Caruso missed the game with a fractured wrist suffered when Milwaukee’s Grayson Allen yanked him to the ground.