Thanks to a career high 49 points and a team record 13, 3-pointers by shooting guard Zach Lavine, the Chicago Bulls defeated the Charlotte Hornets 116-115 on the road at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Saturday night [November 23].
In addition to his career-high 3-pointers, Lavine would also play hero of the night after the Bulls were down 108-100 with 50 seconds left to play in regulation. Lavine would make a miraculous three-point shot in front of the Hornets’ bench with 1.2 seconds remaining on the clock.
“We were just battling,” said Lavine about his superb performance and his game-winning shot after exchanging baskets with the Hornets down the stretch. “I just said…. I’m going for the game [winner]. [And] once I shot it, I knew it was cash.”
Lavine responded with an valiant effort, after being benched early in the first quarter a night before by Bulls coach Jim Boylen due to a lack of defensive effort. Lavine responded to this poor performance defensively by going 13-of-17 from behind the three-point arc and looked to impress his coach with a better defensive effort throughout the game.
With a career high 49 points from Lavine, rookie sensation Coby White also joined him with a career performance of his own. He finished with a career high 28 points, four three-pointers on 12-of-19 shooting from the field.
White, who played for coach Roy Williams and the University of North Carolina Tar Heels during the 2018-2019 season, has already had several big games as a rookie in the month of November: Scoring 27 points and seven 3-pointers against the Knicks on November 12, as well as 26 points and six 3-pointers against the Milwaukee Bucks on November 14. Add to this a big game against the Charlotte Hornets during Saturday night’s game (along with Lavine), scoring a career high 28 points.
Final Score: Bulls 116, Hornets 115. With this win, the Bulls improved to 6-11 on the season, aided by a record-setting night for Zach Lavine. Lavine’s record setting 13, 3-pointers tied Golden State Warriors’ Steph Curry for second most 3-pointers made in a NBA game. With his amazing shooting performance, Lavine fell one three-pointer shy of breaking the NBA record of 14 held by Curry’s teammate Klay Thompson. Thompson and Curry (also known as “the Splash Brothers,” due to their uncanny ability to shoot the three-point shot from anywhere on the floor with efficiency, accuracy and consistency), currently rank first and second for most three-pointers made in a game.
Chicago Crusader Newspaper Players of The Game:
Zach Lavine, Chicago Bulls, 49 points, 13 three-pointers. Coby White, Chicago Bulls, 28 points, 4 three-pointers.
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.
