CHICAGO _ With each made basket by Zach LaVine, each point that willed a frantic fourth-quarter comeback, the crowd at the United Center erupted louder and louder in anticipation. By the time he hit a reverse layup and knocked down the ensuing free throw to put the Bulls ahead by four points late in the game, the crowd had worked itself into a frenzy.
The Bulls rallied from deficits of 19 points late in the third quarter and 15 at the start of the fourth as LaVine took over and put on a show. He scored half of his game-high 42 points in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Cavaliers 21-14 by himself in the final period to lead the Bulls to a 118-116 victory Saturday night.
If LaVine wanted to make a statement that he should be given consideration for the All-Star team next month he did so in emphatic fashion with his third 40-point game of the season.
In the first half the Bulls had little answer for guard Collin Sexton, and the Cavs offense had their way with them through three quarters. The Bulls gave up a season-high 73 points by halftime. The Cavs reached triple digits in the third quarter. Sexton, the second-year guard who went one pick after the Bulls' first selection in 2018, scored 26 points while Kevin Love put up 29 in what was shaping up to be one of the Bulls' worst defensive efforts of the season.
Instead, they rallied and won for the first time since November 1990 after allowing at least 102 points through three quarters.
Both teams were playing the second half of a back-to-back after their travel plans were delayed Friday night before getting to Chicago on Saturday morning. While the Cavs were finishing a six-game road trip, the Bulls started the game sluggish. Meanwhile, the Cavs came out firing, shooting 68.4% in the first half (12 for 17 from 3), missing 70% only by missing a buzzer beater. The Cavs had made 14 straight shots in the quarter before that last miss.
