LaVine takes step forward in recovery as Bulls fly past Hornets
Zach LaVine demonstrated to a national television audience Tuesday that he's back to his old self. So he didn't want to turn around and hide from the home fans.
LaVine and the Bulls medical staff decided he would suit up Wednesday against the Charlotte Hornets, marking the first time he's played in back-to-back game this season while managing a return from offseason knee surgery. LaVine sat out three of the Bulls' first six games and now has played in three straight.
The Bulls made the most of it, rolling to a 106-88 victory at the United Center for their second win in two nights.
"I felt good," LaVine said after the contest. "I mean, my legs were tired, a couple of my shots were short. But it was one that you just had to go down and get. It was an ugly game, a dirty game, and we ended up winning by 20 points when our two best players shot the ball terrible.
"I don't think we played bad at all, we just didn't shoot the ball well. If we can win games like that, I think we're going to be fine."
Both of the Bulls' all-stars were oddly off-target Wednesday. LaVine and DeMar DeRozan shot a combined 6-for-27 against the Hornets.
LaVine was on fire at the end of Tuesday's win over Brooklyn, scoring 20 points in the fourth quarter, while DeRozan went 8-for-21 from the field.
LaVine played 32 minutes against Charlotte after logging 37 in Brooklyn. Since the Bulls had a comfortable lead, he didn't come back for his usual appearance at the end of the fourth quarter.
"We came off a very good win the other night (in Brooklyn)," LaVine said. "I just wanted to come in, felt fine, and be able to go out there and help. I think I did my job to be able to do that. Felt good, still feel fine. Keep up high hopes for that. I'm glad they allowed me to go out there and compete with my team."
It's probably too soon to say if LaVine will be ready to play in the next back-to-back, which is coming up Sunday and Monday. For now, he's just sticking to the plan.
"Same thing we've been doing," he said. "Been playing well to this point, my knee's been feeling well, so nothing new or nothing tricky. Just stay off it when you have off days, have some ice and activate and be ready to play when it's game day."
Javonte Green was the Bulls' leading scorer for the first time in his three seasons with the team, finishing with 17 points. Patrick Williams and Goran Dragic added 16 each, while center Nikola Vucevic produced 14 points and 13 rebounds,
The Bulls (5-4) were able to run to an early lead by knocking down 8 of their first 10 shots from 3-point range. Green went 3-for-3 from long range and 7-for-7 overall, finally picking up where he left off in preseason.
"It wasn't a rhythm thing," Green said. "Just building that confidence back up that I had in preseason. It's kind of tough, but it's a long season. I'm just playing my hardest."
Another important development for the Bulls was whether their two youngest starters, Patrick Williams and Ayo Dosunmu, could follow on impressive performances against Brooklyn.
Williams did, Dosunmu didn't. Williams hit his season-high with 16 points, while Dosunmu went 3-for-10 from the field. The Bulls shot 43.2% as a team, but held the Hornets to 39.1.
Charlotte's leading scorer, Terry Rozier, was sidelined by a sprained right ankle, while LaMelo Ball (ankle) has yet to play this season.
So hard to say if this was much of a victory for the Bulls defense. But with a two-game trip coming up to Boston and Toronto, it never hurts to get a win.
Andre Drummond (left shoulder strain) missed his third straight game, while Coby White (left quad contusion) sat out for the second day in a row.
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