‘Explosive’ backcourt makes history
LaVine, White first to make at least 8 3-pointers each in a game
No teammates in NBA history ever had a shooting night quite like the show Zach LaVine and Coby White combined to put on Wednesday night at the United Center.
The Chicago Bulls unleashed a barrage of 3-pointers on the New Orleans Pelicans in a 129-116 victory, racing past the previous franchise record for 3s in a game by the end of the third quarter to finish with 25. The backcourt duo of LaVine and White paved the way, becoming the first teammates in NBA history to hit at least eight 3s in the same game.
LaVine scored a season-high 46 points — three short of his career high — while knocking down 9 of his 14 shots from beyond the arc and 17 of 25 overall. White added 30 points, his second-highest total of the season, while going 8-for-17 from 3 and 10-for-20 overall in one of his best games. Together, they put on their best impression of the Splash Brothers.
“We’re explosive enough to be able to do that,” LaVine said. “Two really good shooters.”
It’s the kind of scoring performance the Bulls have envisioned from their dynamic backcourt duo. And considering their frontcourt has been decimated by injuries with starters Wendell Carter Jr. and Lauri Markkanen sidelined, it’s the kind of performance the Bulls might be leaning on more often.
They continue to receive consistent excellence from LaVine, who hasbuilt off his red-hot start and taken his game to the next level. He started the game aggressive and scored 20 points in the first quarter. He scored almost at will from all levels on the floor, knocking down 3s, soaring to the rim with ease and pulling up over defenders for jumpers. LaVine has been locked in since the start of the season and is averaging 31.8 points in six February games.
On the season, LaVine is up to 28.2 points per game with 51.8/ 42.5/86.3 shooting splits and a 65.2 true-shooting percentage, all of which would be career highs. He is shooting about 43% on 8.3 3pointers per game, joining only Stephen Curry, CJ McCollum and Donovan Mitchell as the only players in the NBA to shoot better than 40% with such a high volume of attempts.
“He’s just a shot-maker, no matter how, he puts the ball in the
basket,” White said of LaVine. “You see it so much. Just count the number of times from this year and last year, how many times I’ve seen him come out blazing hot to where it’s not even — is he really blazing hot or is that just him?”
White’s second season has been filled with a lot more ups and downs in adjusting to life as a starting point guard. He is still trying to master running an NBA offense andwas mired in an extended shooting slump before Wednesday. In his last 13 games, White shot just 36.9% from the field and 32.4% from 3, scoring 12.4 points per game on 12.1 shot attempts.
White has been searching for anything to help him break out of his slump. He’s put up extra shots, even sometimes after games at the United Center. Along with his brother, Will, who played basketball and is an assistant college coach, White watched film of his shot trying to correct an issue with his balance. And White has gotten some tough love from coach Billy Donovan, who said he has had a lot of discussions with his point guard over the last 10 days.
“He’s lenient with me, but he’s also really, really tough on me at the same time,” White said. “There’s nothing more that I can ask for from a coach. He pushes me. He’s always getting on me because he knows what I have and how I can play. So he’s
always pushing me to get better and get better and get better. Always pushing me to keep striving in the right direction.”
DuringWhite’s prolonged rocky stretch, a debate reignited among fans about whether the 20-year old, second-year player ever would be able to handle being a lead guard in the NBA. When the Bulls offense has been at its best lately, either LaVine or Tomas Satoransky have been leading it. White played off the ball a bit more frequently Wednesday night as the Bulls attempted to get him shots in rhythm and catch-and-shoot more often.
“I’m very happy for Coby that he got back on track. He showed that confidence again,” LaVine said. “Coby is a very explosive scorer. Sometimes, he just has to go out there and play his game to get it back a little.”
One good game is not
going to change the fact the Bulls need more consistency from White, but they also seem willing to live with his erratic play. Nights such as Wednesday remind them of that tantalizing potential if White can master the position and form a consistent scoring threat along with LaVine.
“Now, has the point guard position been this smooth, natural transition for him? No, probably not,” Donovan said. “But he’s 20 years old and this is the first time he’s done it. Last year he really wasn’t doing probably what I’m asking him to do, it’s a little bit different. He was a rookie, came off the bench, wasn’t in the rotation and then was in the rotation, and then scored a bunch of points.
“This is an evolution for him. It’s going to take a little bit of time and there’s going to be some ups and downs and rocky roads.”