As Chicago Bulls thrashed Oklahoma City Thunder 123 – 102, Zach LaVine’s stupendous 40-point performance pioneered the hosts’ victory at the United Center, and it puts his name next to Michael Jordan.
From a 42-point first quarter to a 15-point third-quarter advantage, Bulls finished the game with a convincing win, coming off of a superb Sunday victory over the Toronto Raptors at home.
Zach LaVine scores 40 points in 31 minutes, a milestone credited to Michael Jordan
LaVine, who has been brilliant this season, landed a total of seven triples, four rebounds, two assists, a steal, and one turnover in his 31-minutes of playtime, finishing the night as the topper of the scoreboard with 40.
Such a brilliant display of performance has earned the 26-year-old guard a historic feat, something that makes him equal to none other than the legend of the sport, Michael Jordan.
The six-time NBA champion and a hallmark name of basketball, Michael Jordan was the only Bulls player to post 40 points under 31 minutes, and now LaVine’s name is etched right beside Jordan.
Moreover, counting Tuesday’s game, LaVine has clocked a total of 19 30-point games for the first 38 games for the Bulls this season, just one less than Jordan who registered twenty of the same back in the 1996-97 NBA season.
With the form, LaVine is currently in, it’s no wonder that he will soon touch that feat of Jordan as well.
Alongside LaVine, Lauri Markkanen posted 5 rebounds and 1 assist, coming along with his 22 points on 7-of-14 shooting, including a thumping dunk over Moses Brown in the very first quarter of the match.
Leaving LaVine and Markkanen, the Bulls had two more players finishing in double digits, with 17 points coming from Thaddeus Young, who clocked 9 rebounds and 6 assists as well, along with 13 points, 2 rebounds and 7 points contributed by Tomáš Satoranský.
For the visitors, it was Brown, who faced the monstrous dunk from Markkanen, landing the only double-double of the night as the towering 7-foot-2 center clocked 20 points and 16 rebounds.
However, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the leader for the OKC Thunder, scoring 21 points including his late Q2 heroics that had his side up by 71-63 before the second half.
Having secured their 18th victory against Thunder, Bulls are now just half a game behind the New York Knicks in the 8th position, who have gone down to 20-21 after two back-to-back losses against Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers.
Eyeing an entry to the top 8 of Eastern Conference, this season could see Bulls making the cut into the playoffs since their last postseason appearance back in 2017.
