Zach LaVine was in the zone Saturday, and when it counted most he was on the money.
The Bulls guard hit a franchise-record 13 3-point shots against the Hornets, with No. 13 being a step-back jumper with eight-tenths of a second remaining after a Coby White steal. He hit three 3s in the final 1:02, in fact, as the Bulls came back from an eight-point deficit. They trailed by by five with 14.8 seconds to go before finally escaping Charlotte with a 116-115 victory.
"Every play was crucial," LaVine told reporters afterward, per the Chicago Sun-Times. "We just kept hitting shots."
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The Bulls announced that LaVine became the third player in NBA history to reach 13 made 3s in a game. Klay Thompson (14) and Stephen Curry (13) are the others.
LaVine finished with a career-high 49 points on 17-for-28 shooting, 13 for 17 from 3. His previous scoring high was 47 points last March vs. the Hawks.
He was convinced the final 3 was going down as soon as it left his hand.
"Once I shot it I knew it was cash," he said, per the Sun-Times.
The huge night boosted his season scoring average to a team-high 21.2. The two-time Slam Dunk Contest champion is now a 40 percent shooter from behind the arc this season.
LaVine's performance came one night after he questioned coach Jim Boylen's trust in him after Boylen benched LaVine early in the first quarter for poor defense. The two men spoke one on one at the team hotel Saturday afternoon.
"I let him know how I felt," LaVine said, per the Sun-Times. "I don't want it to get bigger than that."
The loss represented a second gut-wrenching collapse in as many nights by the Hornets. They blew a 13-point fourth-quarter lead to the Wizards in Washington on Friday, and they led by as many as 12 in the fourth quarter Saturday.
