Chicago Bulls: Zach LaVine’s All-Star performance gets win over T-Wolves
On the night of Feb. 24, it was first-year head coach Billy Donovan and star shooting guard Zach LaVine that emerged victorious for the Chicago Bulls against the bottom team in the NBA standings in a game that appeared way too close for comfort. Donovan, LaVine, and the Bulls topped the struggling and young Minnesota Timberwolves at home at the United Center on this night by the final score of 133-126 in overtime.
The Bulls tried to put the Timberwolves away late in this game, but a three-pointer on the final possession of the fourth quarter for Minnesota pushed this game to overtime. But the Bulls came out of the gates hot in overtime and were able to take a comfortable six point lead most of the way. That led to the win in the end, coming by a seven-point margin.
Among the Bulls starting five, it was LaVine and second-year point guard Coby White that helped to spark the offense. LaVine and White combined for 55 points in this game. LaVine had 35 of those points on 14-of-21 shooting from the field, 5-of-8 from beyond the arc, and a perfect 2-of-2 from the charity stripe.
White also gave the Bulls a nice night (except from beyond the arc), with 20 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. He shot 9-of-17 from the field, 0-of-6 from beyond the arc, and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line.
Supporting cast wins the day for the Chicago Bulls
There was also underrated production that the Bulls got from the likes of third-year center Wendell Carter Jr. and rookie forward Patrick Williams. In this game, Williams gave the Bulls 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field, 1-of-2 from beyond the arc, and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line. Williams also showed up with four rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block. He is becoming a real two-way force for this Bulls team.
And WCJ came through with another double-double on this night. He registered 17 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks.
There was also a huge boost that the Bulls got off the bench from the trio that is shooting guard/wing Denzel Valentine, veteran forward Thaddeus Young, and combo guard/wing Tomas Satoransky. Those three combined for 40 points, 13 assists, 12 rebounds, and seven steals. That is amazing production for Donovan to get out of his bench.
The Bulls were able to get away with turning the ball over a whopping 21 times in this game. LaVine and White did combine for 14 turnovers between them two alone. That mark will have to improve for them in the very near future.
Nonetheless, a special week for LaVine can keep on keeping on. On the night of Feb. 23, LaVine was named as an NBA All-Star for the first time in his career. And now he can celebrate as the Bulls move into the top six in the Eastern Conference standings for the first time in a long while. They now have a three-game winning streak going too.
Next. 3 All-Stars to target at the trade deadline. dark
After this important win over the Timberwolves, the Bulls now sport a record of 15-16. They have won three straight games, all coming against Western Conference foes. Next up for LaVine and the Bulls is a difficult meeting at home at the United Center with veteran star point guard Chris Paul and the Phoenix Suns on Feb. 26.