If Kobe Bryant’s Mamba spirit lives on within the NBA, players like Zach Lavine can vouch for his clutch performances.
The Chicago Bulls defeated the Indiana Pacers 120-112 in an OT thriller outscoring the Pacers 15-7 down the stretch. Lavine finished the night scoring 30 points and grabbing nine rebounds shooting 44 percent from the field.
Not only does this win move the Bulls up in the win column closing in for an NBA Playoff seed, the Bulls won three of their last five games improving to an 11-15 record.
Lavine told media members and BSO how he understood why the refs gave him a technical foul in the fourth quarter after scoring on Myles Turner.
“It’s just a part of the game. I think the refs know me and I’m not a very malicious person. I think I got a little out of line and the ref hit me with a tech doing their job. That’s okay and I get back into the play pretty easily. With the shot…I wanted to come down and give us a lead obviously…it was a big possession. I think you guys know I’m not scared to miss those shots or take them.”
The Pacers took the Bulls by surprise starting T.J. McConnell who scored a career high 19 points shooting 8-for-9 from the field.
Malcolm Brogdon led the Pacers with 23 points and 15 rebounds which wasn’t enough to get the Pacers over the hump.
Domantas Sabonis added his 22nd double-double of the season posting 25 points and 10 rebounds. With the switching down low, Bulls center Wendell Carter made it difficult for Sabonis deflecting the inside passes and boxing him out to put him in an uncomfortable position to score. Carter scored 11 points with Coby White and Garrett Temple combined for 35 points.
The Pacers will look to bounce back against a 7-20 Minnesota Timberwolves team on Wednesday at 8: p.m. EST at the Target Center.
Flip the page for CHI vs. IND post-game highlights.
