3 takeaways from the Chicago Bulls since the All-Star break, including the energy surge from Patrick Beverley

The Chicago Bulls travel north to Toronto on Tuesday for another key game in their play-in run.

The Raptors (30-32) are ninth in the Eastern Conference standings, a game ahead of the Washington Wizards (28-32) — whom the Bulls defeated Sunday — and 1½ games ahead of the 11th-place Bulls (28-33). The seventh- through 10th-place teams in each conference qualify for the play-in tournament.

Here are three takeaways from the Bulls’ two-game winning streak since the All-Star break.

1. Energy is a word that’s probably overused in basketball.

Players are in constant motion for 48 minutes, so it’s hard not to expend energy on the court.

But almost everyone has touted Patrick Beverley’s arrival to the Bulls as an instant “energy surge,” even though he has played in only two games.

Are the Bulls really playing with renewed energy, or is it just something everyone talks about when a dramatic presence like Beverley inserts himself into the equation?

“There is a little bit (more),” center Nikola Vučević said. “Our stretches of energy are a little higher than it was (before the All-Star break). So now we’ll see how we sustain that.

“We’re a little more locked in. I think the break did something for everybody. Let’s see if we can maintain that and continue to play this way. It’s been much better than we’ve been, especially on the offensive end.”

A couple of lopsided wins over the Brooklyn Nets and Wizards have put the Bulls back in the thick of the play-in race. We’ll find out quickly if the energy surge is sustainable with back-to-back games Tuesday and Wednesday in Toronto and Detroit.

The mental rest also was good for the Bulls. Vučević went back to Orlando, Fla., during the break and was able to relax and get some sun on his face.

“Get some vitamin D in,” he said. “It helps.”

DeMar DeRozan said he also was able to get some needed rest, even though he played in the All-Star Game in Salt Lake City and had to fly back to Chicago afterward.

“I didn’t touch a ball, other than the All-Star Game, until the first practice back,” he said. “I really was just trying to rest, rehab, ice treatment, get massages, get the soreness out. I tried to be on top of that more than anything, and I think I did a good job. I’m feeling good and have my legs back under me.”

DeRozan said he felt fine Sunday and his right quadriceps soreness is gone.

2. Coach Billy Donovan said he and Artūras Karnišovas never discussed giving up on a play-in spot for better odds in the draft lottery.

The Bulls’ first-round pick goes to the Orlando Magic as part of the 2021 trade for Vučević — unless it winds up in the top four.

“I don’t know all the percentages and where you are and stuff, but a lot of times those percentages are really, really low,” Donovan said. “They may be high in terms of looking at that in relation to someone having a 15% chance versus a 2% chance, but it’s always been about the integrity of competition.

“When I first met with Artūras, that never came up. Everything was just about winning. Ownership is on board with that. I’m speaking for myself because it’s not like we’ve had these in-depth, deep discussions. But I do know when we were in a situation where there was some talk my first year, it was like, ‘OK, we’re kind of eliminated here. It’s going to be hard to get to the playoffs.’ We may not have been mathematically eliminated, but it was going to be hard.

“It was always about the integrity of building the culture and an environment predicated on what are the things that go into winning. I think that’s important.”

3. The All-Star Game ratings were in the tank as fans tuned out a noncompetitive game.

It drew only 4.59 million viewers, the least-watched game in history.

Team Giannis beat Team LeBron 184-175, and Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone, who was in charge of Team LeBron, called it “the worst basketball game ever played.”

DeRozan agreed that changes are necessary to get it back to being a fan-pleasing event.

“I wish it was more competitive,” DeRozan said. “I really hope they fix it, more so for the fans to see the best players in the game competing against each other. You don’t want to keep seeing deep dunks or people shooting 50-foot 3s. It’s not basketball.”