Jerian Grant isn't complaining. He's just stating a fact: It's easier to produce when you're not looking over your shoulder.

Rajon Rondo's benching has gift-wrapped the Bulls' reserve point guard role for the second-year pro acquired in the Derrick Rose trade. And Grant responded with nine points, six assists, four steals and three rebounds in 27 minutes of Monday's victory over the Hornets.

"I even played good minutes in the fourth quarter," Grant said of a seven-minute stint. "It's exciting for me. I've been able to play with a lot of confidence and not look twice, three times at the bench if I miss a shot or make a mistake or miss an assignment. They're letting me play through it, and it's helping my game out a lot. I'm able to run that second group."

In the five games that Grant has played at least 25 minutes, he's averaging 9.8 points, two assists and 2.6 steals.

"It's huge," Grant said of extended minutes. "You can go play your game. You take shots without hesitation. It gives you a lot of confidence. When you have confidence, it takes your game to another level."

Back to basics: Yes, that was Doug McDermott posting up and shooting one-legged fadeaways Monday, reprising offensive looks from his big-time scoring days at Creighton. It's a look coach Fred Hoiberg said he might use more, especially when the opponent's best defender is guarding Dwyane Wade during Wade's stint with the second unit.

"I work on that all the time," McDermott said. "With Jason Terry against Milwaukee, I got a couple looks down there, and then (Monday) against Jeremy Lamb. I wouldn't mind to keep doing that.

"I'll have to make better reads finding guys. But overall, it's something I'm used to and what I used to do all the time. I did that shot a million times in college."

Charity stripe: Michael Carter-Williams confirmed Jimmy Butler's assertion late Monday that Butler didn't know he had 49 points when Hornets coach Steve Clifford drew a technical foul with 15.1 seconds left.

Butler, who typically takes free throws after technicals, backed off the line and could be seen laughing with Carter-Williams.

"I was like, 'Jim, I've got this one, you're good,'" Carter-Williams said. "I was just messing with him, and he was like, 'All right, go ahead, if you want to get going a little bit.' But I was like, 'No, you have 49 points. Obviously I want you to get 50.'

"I thought he was playing with me, so I walked up to the line and he didn't say anything, and I was like, 'Come on, bro, you've got 49.'"

Butler ended up taking and making the shot and tacked on two more free throws with 7.1 seconds left. His 21-for-22 performance from the line set United Center records.