Zach LaVine Scored A Career-High 50 But Chicago Lost To Trae Young And The Hawks

In a game in Atlanta that didn’t feature much defense on either side, newly minted All-Star Zach LaVine put up a career-high 50 points, including 39 in the first half, a record among all NBA players this season.

A big part of LaVine’s huge first half came as the Bulls guard let it fly from deep, with all seven of his triples coming in the first half. The Atlanta wing duo of Bogdan Bogdanovic and Kevin Huerter stood no chance defending LaVine, the seventh leading scorer in the NBA this season.

That led LaVine to get red hot, at one point putting up 25 straight points for Chicago and setting an NBA season record in the process.

However, the big scoring night wasn’t enough to take down the Hawks in Atlanta, as Trae Young had himself his own big night with 42 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. While Chicago’s supporting cast wasn’t able to make plays when Atlanta’s defensive attention turned toward LaVine, the Hawks’ role players stepped up and Young made plays all over the court, with lobs to Clint Capela, quick-hitters to Danilo Gallinari, and of course Young’s own signature step-back threes.

In the end, LaVine only put up 11 in the second half, which while enough to net him a career high, wasn’t enough to outduel Young and give Chicago the win. The Bulls’ three-game win streak came to an end while Atlanta continued its climb up the Eastern Conference standings.