Bulls’ backcourt has record-breaking night in win over Pelicans

Thanks to Zach LaVine’s nine three-pointers and Coby White’s eight, the tandem became the first teammates in NBA history have at least eight three-pointers in the same game.

SHARE Bulls’ backcourt has record-breaking night in win over Pelicans
Zach LaVine and Coby White became the first teammates in NBA history to make at least eight three-pointers in the same game.

Zach LaVine and Coby White became the first teammates in NBA history to make at least eight three-pointers in the same game.

AP

Lonzo who?

For one game, the Bulls’ backcourt could ask that question and not feel embarrassed.

Lonzo Ball and the visiting Pelicans came into the United Center on Wednesday looking to take advantage of the Bulls’ shaky point-guard situation and left having three-point nightmares.

Thanks to Zach LaVine and slumping backcourt mate Coby White, the Bulls set a franchise record with 25 three-pointers in a 129-116 victory. They became the first teammates in NBA history to make at least eight three-pointers in the same game.

LaVine finished 9-for-14 from beyond the arc on his way to a 46-point night, and White went 8-for-17 from three-point range to finish with 30. The Bulls had two 40-point quarters (the first and the third) and outscored the Pelicans 63-42 in the second half.

‘‘I didn’t know that,’’ LaVine said of the record he and White set. ‘‘We’re explosive enough to be able to do that, two really good shooters. Obviously, you’re not going to be able to hit shots like that through the whole entire game, but I’m glad for Coby that he got back on track. He showed that confidence I have in him.’’

As for the trade rumors involving Ball, multiple outlets have reported the Pelicans’ front office is making calls to assess his value. And while the Bulls have been floated as one of the teams where he would be a fit, the Sun-Times has reported there has been no overt interest by executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and his staff to start moving or adding players with evaluations still going on.

One thing to keep in mind, however, is that former Bulls general manager Gar Forman is now a special adviser for the Pelicans and knows the Bulls’ roster inside and out, considering he and former executive John Paxson built it.

All that mattered to coach Billy Donovan, however, was that his short-handed team pulled out an impressive victory — and that the embattled White was a big reason why.

Even with White struggling to keep his head above water in the last 10 days, Donovan has staggered his minutes more often but has refused to replace him in the starting lineup.

‘‘I’ll keep this between he and I, but we have had, he and I, a lot of discussions over the last week or 10 days,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘And I will say this about Coby: He is a really, really hard worker. He knows there are things he’s gotta figure out; he’s 20 years old.

‘‘Coby starting the game has nothing to do with us winning or losing. Whether he’s coming off the bench or he’s starting, we still need him to continue to develop and get better. There are things that he is having to learn that he’s been very, very open and honest about. But he continues to work on those things.’’

White’s big effort doesn’t mean he erased the Bulls’ concern at point guard. His scoring masked it for a night, however, especially with Ball starting opposite him.

Ball finished with 21 points and seven assists. White also had seven assists.

‘‘Basketball is full of ups and downs, and you’re never going to please everyone,’’ White said after his performance. “[The record] means a lot. It was a fun, but we’ve gotta get back to it. Don’t get too high, don’t get too low.’’

The Latest
White Sox fans from all over will flock to Guaranteed Rate Field on Thursday for the team’s home opener against the Tigers.
Many kids in the audience came dressed up. I would recommend parents encourage it, as their youngsters will undoubtedly make new friends at intermission finding others who love the characters they do, or who identify with other ones.
Mayor Brandon Johnson made it clear he will not remove Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25as Housing Committee chair for appearing at a rally where an American flag was burned to protest U.S. support for Israel. He likened the controversy to the furor that surrounded Barack Obama’s controversial Pastor Jeremiah Wright.
Archer Courts, 2242 S. Princeton Ave., will soon get a new hot water system, ventilation system and rooftop solar panels through a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Leasure will make his major league debut on Thursday.