LaVine can't miss, Chicago Bulls roll past Hawks
During their first two seasons in Chicago, there was plenty of talk about Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn - the two veterans acquired in the Jimmy Butler trade - not having much chemistry when they played in the backcourt together.
But with Dunn essentially playing small forward out of necessity, the Bulls' suddenly have it rolling.
They followed up their three straight narrow losses with their biggest victory of the season Wednesday night. With LaVine leading the offense and Dunn the defense, the Bulls rolled past Atlanta 136-102 at the United Center.
"I don't think we're even there yet, playing our best ball," Dunn said. "But we're definitely building our chemistry, getting the jell write. I think the biggest thing is going out there and just keep competing."
The Hawks (6-19) were playing a tough back-to-back after losing in overtime Tuesday at Miami, so this was definitely a night where the Bulls should have taken care of business. They defeated the Hawks in Atlanta by 20 points on Nov. 6.
The Bulls (9-17) scored the most points in a regulation game since they piled up 151 at Milwaukee on April 14, 2008.
LaVine scored 35 points, went 12-for-15 from the field overall and 7-for-7 from 3-point land without playing at all in the fourth quarter.
He did not set a franchise record for 3-pointers without a miss. Ben Gordon went 9-for-9 in a game against Washington on April 14, 2006.
LaVine said he was upset with himself after Monday's 1-point loss against Toronto, because he had 20 points in the first half and none after halftime.
"We need to have fast first-quarter starts," LaVine said. "Our bench has always helped us out. So going out there and doing my part. I just was a lot more aggressive in the second half. I was upset with myself, I had 20 in the first and ended with 20 last game. For me, I think that's unacceptable. I've to be more aggressive, so I definitely wanted to do that today."
This was Dunn's seventh start of the season, necessitated because both Otto Porter (foot) and Chandler Hutchison (shoulder) are out with injuries. Dunn always prides himself in playing tough defense against the opponent's best player. On Wednesday, he helped limit Atlanta guard Trae Young to 15 points and 4-of-14 shooting.
"He's small. He can shoot the ball," Dunn said of Young. "If you can shoot the ball in this league, especially how far he shoots it, he's definitely dynamic. My job is to guard the best players on the team. If you look at the tape, I've been doing a good job."
Dunn quickly rolled off the list of his defensive matchups, from Golden State's D'Angelo Russell to Miami's Jimmy Butler last weekend.
"I'm motivated for all of it," Dunn said. "I want the best player. I want to see what I've got. I like the competitiveness of it. Last game Jimmy, I wanted that. Next game it's going to be (Charlotte's) Devonte (Graham) or Terry Rozier. Next game (against the Clippers), I'm telling coach, 'I want Kawhi Leonard, Paul George.' I want to take it head on.
"Everybody knows on this team, I take a lot of pride in my defense. I try to anchor it and then I've got big fella in back, Wendell (Carter), who's going to help me out also. I think my defensive energy allows everybody else to put their hard hat on and guard, too."
This game drew another small crowd by Bulls standards, with the majority of the 300 level empty. The announced attendance of 15,084 made it the fourth-smallest crowd in the United Center era. Monday's game against Toronto had the second-smallest attendance.
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