Rajon Rondo scores season-high 20 in return to starting lineup

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Looking to give his team a spark as it tried to find a way to snap a five-game losing streak, Chicago Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg decided to reinsert Rajon Rondo into the starting lineup for Monday night's game against the Charlotte Hornets.

"The biggest reason -- I want to try and get a little more pace out of the gate," Hoiberg said before Chicago's 115-109 win. "We're struggling to get easy baskets right now, obviously, with that first group. So if we can get a little pace injected into that lineup, try to get some throw-ahead opportunities to create situations where we can score before the defense gets set, that's pretty much what it came down to. Hopefully it helps. We'll see."

It did indeed help. Rondo provided a spark, scoring a season-high 20 points in his return to the starting lineup -- including a season-high three 3-pointers, all in the first quarter -- with six assists and seven rebounds.

The Bulls scored 36 points in the first quarter -- two shy of their season high -- to build a 12-point lead. They knocked down 8 of 13 3-pointers in the first and 11 of their first 19 overall, although they cooled off significantly after the middle of the second quarter, finishing 14-of-40 from beyond the arc.

"Is it a position I lost? Yes," Rondo said after the victory. "Now I guess it's coming back to me. I don't know."

Rondo was benched for five games after being taken out before the second half of a loss to the Indiana Pacers on Dec. 30. He said in the ensuing days that the Bulls' coaching staff said he wasn't playing fast enough and that an unnamed member of the staff said the Bulls were "saving me from myself."

At the time, Rondo said he thought the explanation was "bulls---" and chuckled at the notion that he might start again later in the season. With the Bulls 1 1/2 games behind the Milwaukee Bucks for the final spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs entering Monday night's games, Hoiberg changed his mind. Hoiberg has repeatedly praised Rondo for the way he handled the situation after being benched and then coming back to lead a second unit full of younger players.

"The dynamic of our team is different than it was when we made that change," Hoiberg said before the game. "We'll keep Bobby [Portis] out there as a starter. But the biggest thing is we got to get out and run with [Rondo]. We've had no pace with that first unit. This will give us hopefully a little more clarity in the roles as far as who's getting out and running. Who the inbounder, who the rim runner is, hopefully we can take advantage of some situations. But we did talk about it with Rajon.

"I was really happy with how he handled everything that's gone on with him this season, as far as taking him out of the rotation and getting back into it, really taking command and leadership with that second group, and the guys love playing with him. He'll play with both groups.

"He'll still get opportunities to play with the young guys, with that second unit, but we just felt like we needed to do something with the five-game slide that we're on. And again, hopefully get us off to a better start."

Rondo's reinsertion into the starting lineup meant Jerian Grant, who has started 24 games this season, went back to the bench. He did not play in Monday night's win.

Grant said he was told the reason for the switch was that the Bulls were looking to push the ball more.

"Our pace needed to be quicker," Grant said of the message he received. "I needed to help getJimmy [Butler]some easier looks. I guess something had to change losing five in a row, so I guess the point guard spot's been the spot."

Hoiberg did not disclose before the game who would be the backup point guard Monday night, saying he was waiting to see how "the flow of the game" played out. Hoiberg has used Rondo, Grant and Michael Carter-Williams in the starting lineup but still hasn't settled on a rotation 66 games into the season. Carter-Williams also didn't play Monday night, with Hoiberg instead going with Cameron Payne.

Grant said he, Rondo and Carter-Williams have leaned on each other for moral support throughout the season as the point guard carousel continues.

"Absolutely," Grant said. "We've all been through the same thing here.

"It started with Rondo, went to MCW and then came to me. We've all been through it. We all keep each other up because when you need someone to talk to, there's no one better to talk to than someone who has been through what you're going through. At the end of the day, we're teammates, and that's what we have to do."

Grant admitted to being miffed that after scoring 13 points and playing well down the stretch of a March 8 loss to the Orlando Magic, he was taken out after only a few minutes in a March 10 loss to the Houston Rockets and played only nine minutes in Sunday's loss to the Boston Celtics.

"That was a tough one, for sure, to understand," Grant said. "Don't really completely understand it, but it's Coach's decision. Can't really go against that."

Like many young players on the roster, Grant acknowledged that Hoiberg's having a quick hook for younger players has affected him at times.

"It's definitely tough," he said. "This is a tough league. You have to be mentally tough. But when there are four other guys fighting for that same position you're in, it's hard not to look over your shoulder. The strong survive. You have to be tough and go out there and do what you do."

Hoiberg used 12 players over the first 13 minutes of Friday's loss and 11 players in the first half of Sunday's loss. When Grant was asked whether it would be easier for the players if Hoiberg just stuck with a nine-man rotation, he didn't hesitate with his answer.

"Absolutely," Grant said. "I feel like that's how you get the best out of players. You kind of give them a little bit of rope and let them know they're going to play this much no matter what you do. And then that gives the players confidence to go play."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.