For one night, DeRozan and LaVine the highest-scoring duo in Bulls history
Did DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine officially become a dynamic duo on Friday night?
The two combined to score 88 points in the double overtime win over Minnesota, which is the most points by two players in Bulls history. DeRozan finished with 49 points, while LaVine had 39. The previous mark was Michael Jordan (69) and Horace Grant (16) with 85 points in 1990.
"It just shows how dynamic and dominant we are when me and him got it rolling," DeRozan said after the game. "You've got to make a decision on what you're going to do with one of us if somebody gets hot, the other one can get hot and run off 10, 15 points. When we've got it rolling like that, it makes everything so much easier."
DeRozan was poked in the eye late in the game. He said he couldn't see anything for a bit, but it was all fine as he sat in the locker room.
He logged 52 minutes against the Timberwolves, so there was some concern about how he'd feel with a back-to-back Saturday against Miami.
"It gets fun, just being in those moments, the crowd involved.," DeRozan said. "You feel a fight from both sides, just that adrenaline of it is definitely fun.
"I want to hoop. I hoop all summer for free, why not hoop when you're getting paid for it. I'm looking forward to it."
DeRozan has scored 49 and 33 points in the last two games, a sign he's doing better after playing through a quad strain before the all-star break. LaVine is going through the best stretch of his NBA career, with 13 games of 30 points or more since Jan. 1.
Mixed memories for BD:
Bulls coach Billy Donovan, who coached in the NCAA Tournament 14 times and won two titles, was asked if he has stronger memories of the big wins or heartbreaking losses.
"I try to keep it on the positive if I can, but there were certainly a lot of painful exits," Donovan said, who added he might have gotten out of the college game at a good time.
"I think you're probably seeing those lower seeds are a lot more competitive today than maybe they were 20 years ago. It was kind of like you got this seed and you figured, 'OK, we've got as good path to get to here.' But I think some of that's changed with the parity overall."
Green still out:
Javonte Green was listed as questionable on the injury report for Saturday's game on the injury report, but was held out. He's been sidelined by a knee injury since Dec. 31.
Green went through a full practice with the Windy City Bulls on Friday, which was a positive sign.
"(He felt) just OK, had some soreness after (the workout)," coach Billy Donovan said. "I think it was good progress, he put a few days in."
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