The Chicago Bulls got their second preseason win in a row Thursday night, and the back court was on fire.
After a sloppy loss to open their preseason, the Chicago Bulls have now won two in a row before they finish up the 4-game preseason slate tomorrow with another contest against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Thursday night, the Bulls took on Oklahoma City in their first of two with Billy Donovan’s former team. From the get-go, the Bulls were on fire offensively. It started with Zach LaVine, who poured in 16 in the first quarter, including three from long range.
At halftime, the Bulls were up double digits and, then, in the third quarter, Coby White decided it was his turn to take over. White then proceeded to drop 18 points in the third period alone.
By the end of the game, White finished with 27 points, five boards, three assists and a steal — in three quarters. Meanwhile, LaVine ended with 24 points, five assists, three rebounds, a steal and a block in the same time frame.
White went 5-for-8 from three-point range, giving he and LaVine a total of eight made from that distance in three quarters.
In the team’s first preseason win over the Houston Rockets, the duo scored a total of 43 points. Thursday night, they upped it to 51. If these two can collectively average over 40 points per game this coming season, the Bulls should have a great chance at making it into one of the final playoff seeds in the Eastern Conference.
White is looking as though he’s picking up right where he left off back in March, when he started to get a chance at more minutes and as the team’s starting point guard. He’s going to be a guy, just like LaVine, who can light it up at any given point. The Bulls are fortunate now that they have two different players that can score in bunches on any occasion.
You have LaVine, who first and foremost, is on a mission to prove once and for all that he is indeed an All Star. But, at the same time, White looks like he’s already on his way to that level as well.
Imagine: The Chicago Bulls have two All Star guards in the near future. What a world we’re living in.
If somehow this squad can come together and show more cohesiveness, especially on the defensive side, they’ll be much better than most originally anticipated. Already, White and LaVine look like they’re cooking. Now, it’s up to the rest of the guys and the team’s defense.
Are the playoffs not only a realistic goal, but something Bulls fans should expect this season? Let’s keep watching as these two young, exciting guards lead the way.
