NBA highlights on Oct. 28: Bulls lose despite LaVine’s 51 points

Despite Zach LaVine’s season-high 51 points, the Chicago Bulls lost to the Detroit Pistons 118-102 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan, on Saturday.

LaVine struggled to shoot 7-for-30 from the field in the first two games. He was listed as questionable against the Pistons but appeared in the starting lineup. Both teams were playing back-to-back, but LaVine displayed superb form from the beginning on Saturday. He went 19-for-32 in field goals (FGs) and drained seven triples, getting 19 points in the first quarter and 20 points in the third period. He was the first player to score 50+ points this season in the NBA.

Nonetheless, LaVine’s individual dominance couldn’t gloss over the Bulls’ offensive underperformance as a team. Their “Big Three,” LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic, were the only three players that scored double-digit points. The other two starters, Coby White and Patrick Williams, missed all seven of their shots to get zero points. As for the team’s bench unit, they were nearly outscored by the Pistons’ Alec Burks alone.

The Bulls’ protection of the paint and rebounds were disappointing as well. They watched Jalen Duren, a 19-year-old sophomore big man, make nine of his 11 shots, all next to the hoop, to drop 23 points. He also delivered five assists and grabbed six offensive rebounds. In fact, he matched all five starters of the Bulls in rebounds at 15.

Like Duren, Cade Cunningham, Isaiah Stuart and Marvin Bagley III had their own way in the Bulls’ paint by combing to get 30 points there. Though their starting squad hit a lot of iron from downtown, their backup unit made nine of their 16 triple attempts. It’s fair to say that the Pistons broke the Bulls’ defense from both outside and inside.

Other games on Saturday (away teams come first):

New York Knicks 87-96 New Orleans Pelicans

Pelicans fans finally got the performance they had been waiting for at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Saturday, when Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson laid it all on the line to help the team win.

The star duo combined to shoot 23-for-34 from the field to drop 50 points. Ingram’s shooting chart almost covered every part within the 3-point line. His size, speed and ability to shoot off the dribble made him nearly unguardable for most of the Knicks’ defenders. Meanwhile, Williamson didn’t have to deal with the ball and could focus on attacking the rim. Even an elite blocker like Mitchell Robinson couldn’t stop him from going 12-for-17 in FGs.

It would be unfair to say that Williamson outperformed Julius Randle in Saturday’s game because the two played in different ways and faced different defense. Randle shouldered more playmaking duties than Williamson and thus often had to appear in the paint with the ball. That made it easier for the Pelicans to double-team or even triple-team him. He committed eight turnovers while delivering only four assists. Randle aside, the rest of the Knicks missed 25 of their 32 shots at the 3-point line, doing too little to set him free inside.

Philadelphia 76ers 114-107 Toronto Raptors

What’s worse than blowing a 17-point lead? The answer is blowing a 12-point lead in the back-to-back game, and that’s what the Raptors went through in the past two days. Having lost to the Bulls in one of the most dramatic ways on Friday, the Raptors came home on Saturday and then lost to the 76ers.

Shooting performance behind the arc became the lifeline of the Raptors at Scotiabank Arena. They made 17 of their 32 triple attempts, shooting at 100 percent (7-for-7) and 60 percent (6-for-10) in the first and the fourth quarters, respectively. They led in both periods. By contrast, when they failed to rain 3-pointers, like what happened in the second and third quarters, they were outscored by the opponents 64-43.

Of course, the 76ers didn’t wait passively for the Raptors to cool down from downtown. Joel Embiid protected the team’s paint like a moving “Great Wall,” limiting their opponents to going 17-for-43 from the field in the paint. Moreover, he and Tyrese Maxey became two unstoppable forces on the offensive end by combining to drop 68 points, 15 rebounds and 15 assists. Maxey drained seven triples while Embiid made 13 of his 18 attempts within the 3-point line.

Memphis Grizzlies 106-113 Washington Wizards

Indiana Pacers 125-113 Cleveland Cavaliers

Miami Heat 90-106 Minnesota Timberwolves

Utah Jazz 104-126 Phoenix Suns