The Chicago Bulls improved to 20-10 on the season with a 113-105 victory over the Indiana Pacers at the UC.
Bulls guard Zach LaVine returned from the League’s Health and Safety protocols on Sunday, December 26, and dropped a game-high 32 points in the victory. Coach Chris Fleming said both LaVine and DeMar DeRozan are selfless players.
“We had a short huddle with DeMar and Zach (in the 4th), as we were going out and DeMar said, ‘listen, stay with Zach. I’ll play off him.’ Those guys are pretty selfless – both of them are willing to sacrifice for the other,” said Fleming via Bulls Twitter.
Bulls center Nikola Vucevic echoed Fleming’s sentiments after posting a double-double of 16 points and 15 rebounds in Sunday’s game.
“We don’t have one selfish guy on this team who cares more about their own numbers than team success,” said Vucevic via Bulls Twitter. “It’s all about winning. When you have guys like that, it’s easy.”
The Bulls led most of the game, but a late run by the Pacers trimmed the lead to 108-100 with 3:19 to play in the fourth quarter.
To end the run, the Bulls would counter with a 20-foot jumper by LaVine.
LaVine finished the night with five assists, five three-pointers, while going 12 of 18 from the field.
Final Score: Bulls 113, Pacers 105.
For the first time since 2016, the Bulls are now 10 games over .500. The team finished with four players in double figures scoring.
Joseph Phillips is the Sports Editor for the Chicago Crusader Newspaper. He is a Chicago native, who has been a sports writer for over 17 years. He also hosts the SC Media News and Sports Network Q&A radio show on WHPK 88.5 FM Chicago. He can be reached at [email protected].
Joseph Phillips is the Sports Editor for the Chicago Crusader Newspaper. He is a Chicago native, who has been a sports writer for over 17 years. He also hosts the SC Media News and Sports Network Q&A radio show on WHPK 88.5 FM Chicago.
