The Bulls faced off against the New Orleans Pelicans last night in a game they desperately needed to win. The Bulls had gone 1-3 in their last 4 games and this was a game they couldn’t drop. Well, the Bulls certainly didn’t disappoint last night. Their offense was on fire and the backcourt did all the heavy lifting.
Yes. This is our backcourt. pic.twitter.com/HyMPWWs5zR
— Bulls Talk (@NBCSBulls) February 11, 2021
The Bulls won this game 129-116 and showed just how powerful this offense can be. Beyond the impressive offensive performance, the Bulls backcourt made NBA history last night.
Coby White and Zach LaVine did something that’s never been done before
Bulls guards Zach LaVine and Coby White combined for 76 points last night and did so shooting a combined 17-31 from three-point range. LaVine hit 9 three-pointers and White hit 8 in the game and that will go down in the history books.
Zach LaVine and Coby White have each hit 8 threes so far tonight.
They are the first pair of teammates to ever hit 8+ threes each in the same game. pic.twitter.com/bWBWaNj9Kv
— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) February 11, 2021
They became the first duo on the same team to hit 8+ threes in the same game. Move over Splash Bros because LaVine and White just made their mark on history. White pulled himself out of his shooting slump and exploded for 30 points. This just goes to show the offensive firepower this Bulls offense can be. While this duo made NBA history the team as a whole changed Bulls franchise history.
It was raining in the United Center
Last night the Bulls were shooting lights out from three. As a whole, the team shot 25-47 (53.2%)from three-point range. This set a new franchise record for three-pointers made in a game for the Bulls.
It was raining in Chicago ☔️☔️☔️ pic.twitter.com/jHtJ0vzD3r
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) February 11, 2021
Beyond White and LaVine’s combined 17 threes, guard Denzel Valentine poured in 4 three-pointers, and guard Garrett Temple added 2 on top of that. The Bull’s backcourt including the bench scored 24 of the 25 three-pointers made last night. As a team, they shot 59.3% from the floor. The Bulls assisted on 36 of their 48 baskets made.
The Bulls have a season-high 35 assists
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) February 11, 2021
They were 100% feeling it on offense last night and took a big lead after the 3rd quarter. This is the type of offense this Bulls team is going to need to keep themselves in the race for a playoff spot. Zach LaVine is playing at an All-Star level and he found himself moving up in Bulls history.
LaVine moves up in Bulls team history
Last night LaVine had another 45+ point game for the Bulls. That’s his 4th 45+ point game as a Chicago Bull. That moved him up to right behind Michael Jordan in Bull history.
Zach LaVine tonight:
46 PTS
7 REB
4 AST
17-25 FG
9-14 3PHe moves to second for most 45-point games in Bulls franchise history with 4 (Jordan is first with 73). pic.twitter.com/lqfQwXiz41
— StatMuse (@statmuse) February 11, 2021
While there’s still a huge gap between MJ and LaVine he still finds himself right behind the Bulls legend. LaVine has shown that his offensive game has yet to reach its peak in his career. He is playing at a high level and scoring 28.2 points per game this season. This man absolutely deserves to be in the All-Star game and just to ensure that go ahead and retweet the tweet below or vote for him at this link.
Zach LaVine is #NBAAllStar material.
RT this to give him your vote! pic.twitter.com/gyfXWRWdcA
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) February 11, 2021
While LaVine continues to perform at a high level the rest of the team needs to work on being consistent offensively. It doesn’t appear that the team’s defense is going to drastically improve so high scoring is going to be what keeps the Bulls in games.
The Bulls need to build off this
The Bull’s next four opponents are current playoff teams in their respective divisions. If the Bulls want to come out of this stretch with a winning record they will need to continue performing at a high level offensively. They will need to see more good offensive games from the backcourt especially with the injuries in the frontcourt. This team has the ability to play at a high level they just need to do it more consistently. Let’s hope head coach Billy Donovan can find a way to build on this.
