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LaVine leads Bulls over Pistons in newly scheduled game

By AP reporter
Published  February 17, 2021 9:56pm CST
Bulls
Associated Press

CHICAGO -  Zach LaVine scored 37 points and the Chicago Bulls beat the Detroit Pistons 105-102 Wednesday night on short notice.

The Bulls were scheduled to visit Charlotte, with the Pistons at Dallas. Those games got called off Tuesday by the NBA because of COVID-19 contact tracing concerns with the Hornets and power outages in Texas. The Bulls and Pistons were then scheduled to play each other, instead.

Chicago made two 3-pointers late in the game to hold off Detroit. Coby White made his shot from the corner to give the Bulls a 100-96 lead with just over a minute left before Patrick Williams knocked down a 3-pointer with 29 seconds remaining to make it 103-98.

LaVine made a free throw to ice the game in the final seconds. He scored 15 points in the third quarter to help Chicago come back from a 25-point, second-quarter deficit.

Wendall Carter Jr. added 18 points while Williams had 15. Chicago won its second straight game overall and fifth in a row against Detroit.

Jerami Grant scored a career-high 43 points for the Pistons, who cooled off after a strong start.

Delon Wright scored 10 of his 12 points in the first half while Dennis Smith Jr. added 10 points off the bench.

Detroit started the second quarter on a 12-0 run and Chicago failed to score until Carter’s follow dunk midway through the period.

Chicago outscored Detroit 27-12 in the third quarter and retook the lead when Garret Temple made a layup with 10 minutes left to make it 74-73.

TIP-INS

Pistons: Detroit scored 11 points off 13 Chicago turnovers … F Sekou Doumbouya missedhis third straight game with a concussion.

Bulls: Thad Young added nine points and 10 rebounds off the bench … Otto Porter Jr. missed his eighth straight game with recurring back spasms. Coach Billy Donovan said the forward is doing some conditioning but has not done any work on the court. … Lauri Markkanen (shoulder) is doing some conditioning but still experiencing discomfort in his shoulder.

UP NEXT

Pistons: Play Friday in Memphis, where they have lost seven of the last nine.

Bulls: Visit Philadelphia on Friday. They have lost five straight there.