Hawks at Bulls
What will the Hawks and Bulls do for an encore when they complete a home-and-home series Sunday in Chicago, two days after an epic four-overtime contest in Atlanta where guards Zach LaVine and Trae Young put on a show? Both teams set franchise records for most points in a game as the Bulls outlasted the Hawks 168-161, a result almost secondary to the career-high outputs by both LaVine (47 points) and Young (49) in one of the NBA’s most entertaining games this season.
The third-highest scoring game in NBA history featured LaVine hitting 17-of-35 shots from the field with nine rebounds and nine assists, Young making 17-of-33 attempts with 16 assists and eight rebounds, and Chicago forward Lauri Markkanen making three free throws to give the Bulls the lead for good in the fourth extra session (capping a 31-point, 17-rebound performance). “I’ve never been a part of a game that long,” LaVine told reporters after playing 56 minutes, the extra time coming after Otto Porter Jr. made three free throws with 0.4 seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 124. Young’s step-back 3-pointer with 2.2 seconds to go in regulation seemed like it would be the winner for Atlanta, and the rookie forced the second overtime on a game-tying bucket with one second left. “I’m proud of the way we fought, even though we came up short,” Young told the media after becoming the first rookie to post a 45-point, 10-assist performance since Michael Jordan in 1985.
TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, FS Southeast (Atlanta), WGN (Chicago)
ABOUT THE HAWKS (21-42): Young reached or surpassed his career high in points in each of the past three games, following consecutive 36-point performances, and is the first rookie with 120 points in a three-game span since Allen Iverson in 1997. Atlanta’s epic night occurred without forward John Collins, whose 19.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game were sidelined due to illness. Vince Carter, 42, played 45 minutes Friday, scoring 17 points, and is averaging 10.8 points on 48.7 percent shooting in his past five games.
ABOUT THE BULLS (18-45): LaVine, who is 16th in the league in scoring at 23.6 points per game, recorded his second 40-plus output in the past four games and fell just shy of a triple double for the second time in three games. Porter finished with 31 points and 10 rebounds, hitting seven 3-pointers, and in two games since missing Monday’s contest against Milwaukee with a strained lower leg has 51 points on 10-of-19 shooting from long range. Markkanen is averaging 27.8 points and 13 rebounds across his past five games.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Porter has flourished since being traded from Washington, averaging 19.8 points on 51.8 percent shooting in his first eight games with Chicago.
2. Atlanta has played into overtime in back-to-back games, starting with Wednesday’s 131-123 triumph over Minnesota, and Young has played 98 minutes in that span.
3. Young scored or assisted on 86 points Friday, the most by a rookie in NBA history according to the Elias Sports Bureau.