Coby White's shooting display leads Bulls to win with Caleb Williams, Pete Crow-Armstrong in attendance
With Bears quarterback Caleb Williams and Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong watching from courtside Tuesday night at the United Center, Bulls guard Coby White gave them a show.
Putting on the type of shooting display that largely has been missing this season because of his time on the sideline with multiple calf injuries, White finished with a game-high 27 points, matching his season high in a 138-110 victory over the Clippers.
His run started with a three-pointer less than three minutes into the game and culminated with five more in the fourth quarter — four in relatively quick succession as the Bulls ran away with the game and the crowd went into a frenzy. White finished 6-for-10 (60%) from three-point range as the Bulls tied a franchise record with 25 threes total.
The more he plays since returning from his latest calf issue, the more White is starting to resemble the version of himself that took off after the All-Star break last season. After sinking seven three-pointers Sunday in a win over the Nets, he looked spry Tuesday and got a standing ovation as he left the court.
“I’m just happy for him because it’s been a long road back for him,” coach Billy Donovan said. “It’s hard. You miss an entire training camp. You miss part of the ending part of the summer. You’re trying to get yourself back in shape, [and] you do start playing, [but] your body doesn’t feel great because you haven’t built up that endurance.”
White, who becomes a free agent after this season and is the subject of trade speculation, said he worked on his shot prep the most during his recent slump and also watched film of himself from last season to find differences in the types of shots he was taking.
“You’ve got to have confidence that you’re gonna get back to who you are,” he said. “It starts with stuff that I can control. Then, if you check those boxes, you live with the result.”
The Clippers, with the oldest roster in the NBA, struggled to keep up, but without All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard, their offensive attack slowed tremendously in the second half. The playmaking responsibilities fell to guard James Harden, who led them with 24 points. Forward John Collins scored 23.
The second half wasn’t all spectacular for the Bulls (21-22), who initially showed why they’re stuck in the middle. They didn’t begin the quarter with the same attentiveness and were burned with two quick threes that forced Donovan to call a timeout. They regrouped quickly, however, and regained control.
Forward Matas Buzelis finished with 21 points. Center Nikola Vucevic chipped in 19.
Three weeks remain until the trade deadline, and the Bulls likely have many decisions to make before then. White, their most attrac-tive trade piece, is the type of player who would mesh on most teams because of his shot-making ability and size at guard.
After dismantling the Clippers, who were playing the second game of a back-to-back, the Bulls travel to Minnesota to face the Timberwolves on Thursday, with games against the Celtics and Heat coming up.