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Zach LaVine is a bucket.
The 28-year-old powered the No. 10 Chicago Bulls to a 109-105 comeback win over the No. 9 Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night at Scotiabank Arena to keep his team alive in the NBA’s play-in tournament.
After entering halftime down 58-47 and trailing by as many as 19 points, LaVine helped the Bulls charge back for the victory, scoring 30 of his 39 points in the second half, in addition to six rebounds, three assists and one steal.
ESPN Stats & Info @ESPNStatsInfo
The Bulls defeat the Raptors behind Zach LaVine’s 32 2nd-half points.
Toronto led by 19 with 9:09 left in the 3rd.
The Raptors had not blown a 19-point lead in a loss since Nov. 14, 2018 vs the Pistons, a span of 1,610 days. pic.twitter.com/E6KFfVhyQp
While the Raptors suffered a complete collapse to be eliminated from playoff contention, LaVine’s performance should not be understated, as it was one of his best of the entire 2022-23 campaign.
After the win, fans were quick to praise LaVine for his performance with the season on the line:
Mark Schanowski @MarkSchanowski
Incredible comeback! Zach LaVine brought the Bulls back in the 3rd Q. & excellent team defense, plus some horrendous FT shooting by the Raptors were the difference down the stretch. Great resilience to battle back from a 19 point deficit on the road.
DraftKings @DraftKings
Zach LaVine tonight pic.twitter.com/GUYQ8Ze1Ci
Dave Kerner @DaveKerner
Zach LaVine: CLUUUUUTCH!#BullsNation
David Haugh @DavidHaugh
Remarkable comeback by #Bulls over Raps. Zach LaVine refused to let them lose—this moment is his. DeRozan clutch. Caruso came up big doing little things. P-Will persevered. Not easy to win in that environment, esp after trailing by 19. Play-in winners play on. Tremendous theater.
Jason McIntyre @jasonrmcintyre
Zach LaVine is that dude! pic.twitter.com/70f8HWTunX
Jason McIntyre @jasonrmcintyre
Zach LaVine, clutch as ever. What a performance. The kid is talented, maybe the most underrated upper crust player in the game. On the road, 39 points!
The Bulls will now move on to face the No. 7 Miami Heat at Kaseya Center with a berth in the 2023 NBA playoffs on the line. The Heat fell to the No. 8 Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday in the first round of the play-in tournament.
Chicago will need LaVine to put together an equally impressive performance against a tough Miami squad on Friday. He averaged 19.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists in two games against the Heat during the regular season.
