Dalen Terry #25 of the Chicago Bulls pours water on Zach LaVine #8 after the game against the Detroit Pistons at United Center on December 30, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. Michael Reaves/Getty Images,/AFP
Zach LaVine scored 18 of his season-high 43 points in the first quarter to lift the host Chicago Bulls to a 132-118 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Friday.
LaVine’s point total eclipsed his previous season high of 41, set in Chicago’s 110-101 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Dec. 4.
LaVine made 15 of 20 shots from the floor on Friday, including 5 of 9 from 3-point range. He also sank all eight of his attempts from the free-throw line and dished out a team-high six assists.
DeMar DeRozan scored 22 points and Nikola Vucevic collected 19 points and nine rebounds for the Bulls, who have won five of their past six games overall and 12 straight against the Pistons dating back to 2019.
Rookie Jaden Ivey scored 22 points, Bojan Bogdanovic had 20 and Alec Burks added 19 off the bench for the Pistons, who have dropped 14 of their past 18 games.
Detroit played without Killian Hayes and Hamidou Diallo on Friday. Hayes was handed a three-game suspension for his role in a scuffle involving the Orlando Magic on Wednesday, while Diallo was issued a one-game ban.
27 in the first half for Zach 🎯👀 pic.twitter.com/9uEFy2Dzby
— NBA TV (@NBATV) December 31, 2022
The Pistons’ Saddiq Bey drained a 3-pointer to forge a tie at 115-115 with 4:23 remaining in the fourth quarter before DeRozan sank two free throws and LaVine scored following a steal by Patrick Williams.
Ivey sank a free throw to make it a one-possession game, but Alex Caruso hit a 3-pointer, LaVine completed a three-point plays and Vucevic drained a trey to effectively put the game away at 128-116 with 1:39 left.
LaVine made 6 of 8 shots from the floor and all five attempts from the free-throw line during the first quarter. Ayo Dosunmu made all three of his shots — including a 3-pointer — to help the Bulls seize a 33-25 lead at the end of the period.
The Pistons responded with a strong start to the second quarter, with Burks scoring his team’s first six points and Kevin Knox II adding five more during an 18-8 surge. The Bulls rebounded, however, and carried a 60-58 lead into halftime.
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