The Chicago Bulls hope their version of the “Big Three” finally has arrived.
DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic and Zach LaVine will look to send the Bulls to their second straight win on Saturday night when they host Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks.
DeRozan collected 27 points and seven rebounds in Chicago’s 115-111 victory over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday. Vucevic added 25 points and 11 boards, and LaVine had 25 and seven, respectively, as the Bulls snapped a three-game skid.
Wednesday marked the first time this season that each member of the trio scored at least 25 points in a game. The group also came through in the clutch by combining to score 33 of the team’s 35 points in the fourth quarter against Washington.
DeRozan is averaging team-leading totals in points (25.5) and assists (4.6). LaVine is contributing 22.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists, while Vucevic is adding 16.2 points and a team-leading 11 rebounds.
Goran Dragic, 36, is averaging just 7.8 points; however, he may be able to provide extra insight on Doncic. After all, Dragic played with Luka’s father, Sasa, on the Slovenian national team before playing alongside Luka himself.
Doncic turned in another dominant performance on Friday, collecting 33 points and 11 assists in Dallas’ 106-105 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. The three-time All-Star recorded his 18th game of at least 30 points this season.
The late-night nationally televised game on Friday didn’t do coach Jason Kidd and his team any favors: The Mavericks had to board a plane to the Windy City and prepare for a quick turnaround vs. the Bulls.
Spencer Dinwiddie scored 15 points for Dallas, which made just 10 of 24 foul shots to see its three-game winning streak end. Two of those victories were on the road, which is a welcome sight considering the Mavericks are a paltry 3-8 away from home.
