Spread the news: LaVine scores career-high 41 points as Chicago Bulls beat New York
Zach LaVine took about three steps forward Monday in his quest to become a true NBA star.
He delivered on one of the league's biggest stages. Sure, the opponent was the lowly New York Knicks, but it was still Madison Square Garden and LaVine scored a career-high 41 points as the Chicago Bulls won 116-115 in double overtime.
"You just get up for these type of games, regardless. It's the Mecca," LaVine told reporters after the game. "You hear about everybody throughout history, the greats always having great games here, because they get up for it. You can feel the energy in the gym. I was up for this game. I think we were ready."
LaVine displayed some clutch outside shooting late in the fourth quarter by knocking down 3 consecutive 3-pointers. The third basket sent the Bulls ahead 102-97 with 2:01 left in regulation.
The well ran dry, though, on the outside jumpers. So in the second overtime, LaVine went on the attack. He scored all 8 of the Bulls' points in overtime No. 2, six on driving lay-ins and 2 free throws.
The Bulls got a break on the game-winner. Taking the ball out of bounds with 2.7 seconds left, LaVine caught it at the top of the key and headed to the basket. It's not likely he would have been able to get a shot off before time expired, but New York guard Emmanuel Mudiay reached in and hacked LaVine across the arm. Replays confirmed the foul occurred a split-second before the buzzer sounded.
The referees put 0.2 seconds on the clock and sent LaVine to the line, where he made the first to put the Bulls up by 1, then successfully missed the second shot intentionally. When LaVine tried to miss a late free throw on purpose at the end of the team's first victory of the season over Charlotte, he ended up bouncing it in off the front rim and backboard.
LaVine shot it well all night, hitting 13 of 25 attempts overall, 11 of 14 free throws and 4 of 10 3-pointers. He added 4 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks but also 8 turnovers.
This performance was reminiscent of Lauri Markkanen last season scoring his season high of 33 points in New York on Jan. 10. LaVine's previous high of 40 points came with Minnesota, against Sacramento on Dec. 23, 2016. His highest-scoring game since joining the Bulls had been 35 points against the Timberwolves on Feb. 9 at the United Center.
The Bulls' second-leading scorer was Antonio Blakeney, who bounced back from a 2-point game Saturday against Houston. He'd been rolling in the three previous contests. Against the Knicks, Blakeney scored 17 points in 20 minutes.
Jabari Parker added 15 points for the Bulls, while rookie center Wendell Carter Jr. finished with 11 points and 13 rebounds before fouling out late in the fourth quarter. Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg went with seldom-used veteran Robin Lopez in the overtimes.
Center Enes Kanter piled up 23 points and 24 rebounds to lead the Knicks, followed by rookie guard Allonzo Trier with 23. New York played without top scorer Tim Hardaway Jr., who suffered a back injury Sunday against Washington.
The victory snapped a four-game losing streak for the Bulls (3-8). They'll stay on the road and face New Orleans on Wednesday.
• Twitter: @McGrawDHBulls