CHICAGO (670 The Score) – With the Bulls teetering on the brink of another crisis, Zach LaVine knew he had to intervene.
The Bulls' lead that was once 22 against the lowly Grizzlies and which was 14 to open the fourth quarter had dwindled to a measly single point at the United Center on Wednesday evening, starting the speculation that has become commonplace throughout Chicago's ugly start.
Is this going to be the worst loss of the season?
LaVine had other ideas.
"Everybody was confident in what we were going through," LaVine said. "We didn't have any doubt."
LaVine scored seven of his team-high 25 points in the final 4:13 and made the needed plays as the Bulls held off the Grizzlies for a 106-99 win. It was Chicago's second straight victory, which marked its first winning streak of the season.
"He was just terrific out there," coach Jim Boylen said. "He was poised and stepped up and made big plays."
The Bulls' lead had been trimmed to 88-87 with 4:29 remaining when Boylen took a timeout shortly thereafter. Out of the break, he called a rarely used play – a side ball screen for LaVine into a pick-and-roll – and LaVine knocked down the 3-pointer to stabilize the Bulls.
That marked the start of a 13-3 run for the Bulls (8-14) in which LaVine scored or assisted on each of his team's buckets.
"That's what he does," said big man Lauri Markkanen, who added 15 points. "He's done it before. He makes big shots, and we obviously trust him to make those shots. It was something that we talked about, and he executed.
"I feel like everybody kind of knows, and obviously you can see about him that he's going to be going to the rim and make the plays that we need."
LaVine's big night continued his strong performance of late. He has scored 25 or more points in four straight games – matching his career-best run – and is averaging 30.7 points on 50.4 percent shooting overall and 55.6 percent 3-point shooting in his past six contests.
"It's the way I see myself playing," LaVine said. "I don't put all this hard work in just to be a regular dude. I expect myself to do this and even more. Whatever I got to do to contribute to winning – like I said, if that's 10 points or that's 40, I'm going go out there and do the best I can with it. I'm in a good place right now, and I'm trying to stay in it."
LaVine shot 7-of-13 from the field and was 9-of-11 at the free-throw line. To Boylen, those numbers showcased his patience in addition to efficiency.
"He just played the right way and let it come to him," Boylen said. "And like great players do, he took over at the end. When it was his time, he answered the bell. I thought it was great."
Cody Westerlund is a sports editor for 670TheScore.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.
