KEY POINTS
- The Chicago Bulls are on a three-game winning streak
- Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic and Coby White could be their "Big Three" for the future
- Thaddeus Young says the Brooklyn Nets are "beatable"
The Chicago Bulls' recent streak of wins following Zach LaVine's return is no coincidence.
LaVine scored a team-high 30 points in Chicago's 108-96 win over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday.
The two-time dunk champion, All-Star Nikola Vucevic and Coby White combined for 80 points on 54% shooting.
Vucevic hauled down 16 boards, while LaVine and White hit eight threes together.
Such stellar showing from what teammate Thaddeus Young describes as the Bulls' own "Big Three" has the power forward optimistic about the season's end.
Yes, the 11th-seeded Bulls do not control their play-in hopes, trailing the 10th-running Indiana Pacers by three games.
The remaining schedule is a tall task too as Chicago is set to face the powerhouse Brooklyn Nets twice, with a game against Toronto in between those being the other meeting left.
But the veteran Young is still looking forward to the upcoming battles with excitement and a mindset that Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden's crew is not invincible.
"We get up for games like that. We know they're a tough team. But they're also a beatable team. We feel like if we're clicking on all cylinders, we can win," Young said on Sunday.
Due to LaVine's three-week hiatus that began in mid-April, the trio managed to play only 13 games together.
But once they clicked, the Bulls looked like a contending team in the East.
"The biggest thing is they're (Vucevic, LaVine and White) all trying to play both sides of the basketball, which is what we need in order to win games," Young stated.
"Defensively, they're all getting better throughout the course of the season and they're all continuing to compete. That's what we need. When everybody sees our Big Three competing, then it just brings everybody else along."
Aside from going unbeaten since LaVine's return, the three stars have won six of their last 11 games for coach Billy Donovan.
LaVine leads the team in scoring, norming 27.3 points per game, while Vucevic leads in rebounds at 11.3 per outing. The two are also shooting above 40% from behind the arc.
It is an encouraging sign that if the Bulls play at full strength, they can compete well against the best teams in the league, and beat them with their own "Big Three" leading the way.
Zach LaVine during one of Chicago Bulls' practice sessions. Photo: Chicago Bulls/Twitter
