NBA -- Porter powers Bulls in upset over Mavs
By Taha Qureshi
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 04 Mar 2020
CHICAGO -- With resident star and leading scorer Zach LaVine out with a strained left quad, the Chicago Bulls got a huge lift from Otto Porter to score a thrilling 109-107 upset over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday the United Center.
Sidelined by a broken left foot since November 6, Porter returned just in time to score 18 points in 17 minutes for Chicago, which annexed one of their best wins in a disappointing season. The only other time the Bulls edged a plus .500 team was last December 14 against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Coby White, the hyped rookie out of the University of North Carolina led the Bulls with 19 points and five assists and Denzel Valentine added 17 and four boards. Thaddeus Young and Ryan Arcidiacano combined for 22 points as the Bulls connected on 44 of 94 from the field.
Tim Hardaway Jr. led the Mavs with 26 points while Luka Doncic, slowed down by a sore thumb, finished with 23 points and nine assists. Dallas played without the injured Kristaps Porzingis, Seth Curry and Jalen Brunson.
The Bulls had an 8-point lead and possession with 22.8 ticks to go and almost blew it when they committed two turnovers that allowed Dallas to slice the deficit to three. But a free throw split by Wendell Carter Jr proved enough to seal the deal.
"Anytime I get an opportunity, I'm going to compete," said Valentine, who started in place of LaVine and made the most of it with 17 markers. "I love basketball. I live for this."
But it was Porter who shined brighter, drilling 7-of-11 shots, including 3-of-5 from three-point distance.
He's got that skillset we've missed," Bulls head coach Jim Boylen of his returning forward. "The ability to make shots, the ability to play pick-and-roll. He has a feel, a calmness, so I'm happy for him."
The win pushed the Bulls' won-lost record up to a 21-40 but they remain six games behind the 26-33 Brooklyn Nets for the 8th and last playoffs berth in the Eastern Conference.
The Mavs, meanwhile, dropped to 37-25, which puts them in seventh place in the Western Conference.
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