The Bulls need this from Zach LaVine if they are to return to the postseason.
Chicago Bulls wingman Zach LaVine is on a sizzling shooting streak like never before this season. In his last ten games, the UCLA high-flyer is averaging 29.4 points on 53% shooting, including a searing 44% from beyond the arc. Although the Bulls remain out of the playoff picture, LaVine’s hot streak bodes well for a Bulls squad that struggled to generate consistent offense all season long.
Decisive action
In the Bulls’ last game, LaVine was in a zone once again as he made all but six of his 18 attempts from the field against the vaunted Denver Nuggets—a team that has rarely lost at home. With LaVine scoring 29 points, Chicago left the Mile High City with a 117-96 victory—a much-needed win that put them within a game of the 10th-place Washington Wizards, who hold the last ticket to the play-in tournament.
Bulls center Nikola Vucevic said LaVine’s decisiveness helped open up seams in the Nuggets’ defense that they managed to take advantage of.
“A guy like Zach, who can be so efficient and score in so many ways, it’s hard to defend that. Especially with all the weapons we have around him,” Vucevic said. “When he’s decisive and makes the right plays and it’s quick, it opens up so much for us.”
LaVine added that he has certainly hit his stride late in the season after getting off to a sluggish start due to off-season knee surgery.
“I was able to get downhill, create. I’ve been feeling that way for awhile now. Keep it going.”
Bulls need this kind of play
Bulls coach Billy Donovan said the team needs him to be this assertive in their final stretch if they are to sneak into the postseason.
“Because Zach is such a great scorer, there’s times he’s thinking about how does he get others involved,” Donovan said. “And he has to understand that for our team, being quick and decisive and aggressive is what we need from him.”
Source: si.com
