Contact Us

Zach LaVine (38 points) stays hot, leads Bulls past Kings

Zach LaVine scored 38 points and the Chicago Bulls beat the slumping Sacramento Kings 122-114 on Saturday night. The Bulls withstood a fourth-quarter push and handed the Kings their sixth loss in a row.

Reuters SPORTS
Published February 21,2021
Subscribe

Zach LaVine scored 38 points and Coby White chipped in 19 to pace six players in double figures as the host Chicago Bulls sent the Sacramento Kings to their sixth straight defeat with a 122-114 victory on Saturday night.

Chicago won for the third time in four games as LaVine shined again, surpassing the 30-point plateau for the seventh time in eight games and 15th time this season. LaVine shot 15-for-20 from the floor to boost the Bulls to a 59.8 percent effort from the field.

Rookie Patrick Williams contributed 11 points and 11 rebounds for his second career double-double, while White drilled five 3-pointers as Chicago went 11-for-23 from distance.

Marvin Bagley III had a double-double of 26 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Kings in the first game of a five-game road trip. Buddy Hield followed with 23 points, and De'Aaron Fox added 20 points and nine assists.

Williams heaved in a 52-footer at the third-quarter buzzer to put the Bulls ahead 95-83. The Kings responded by opening the fourth on a 16-6 run, closing to within 101-99 on a Bagley layup with 8:00 to go.

Effectiveness from long range helped Chicago regain control in short order, as Garrett Temple and White drilled treys as part of an 8-2 run over the next 2:04.

Playing without starters Harrison Barnes (strained left foot) and Richaun Holmes (right knee soreness), as well as top reserve Glenn Robinson III (knee), the Kings struggled to build scoring and rebounding depth.

Thaddeus Young (18 points), Temple (14) and Tomas Satoransky (10) rounded out a balanced Bulls attack.

Tyrese Haliburton (16 points) and Hassan Whiteside (12) also were in double figures for the Kings.

Inactive for much of the season, former Bull and Chicago high school product Jabari Parker made his 2020-21 debut for the Kings. He posted two points and three rebounds in nearly nine minutes in his debut.

Chicago scored 40 points in the paint in the first half en route to a season-high 66 to take a 68-58 lead into the break. The Bulls shot 62.8 percent in the first 24 minutes compared to 48.9 percent for the Kings, and led by as many as 14.

The Bulls avenged a 128-124 road loss to Sacramento on Jan. 6 while snapping a two-game losing streak in the series.