Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic return from injuries in Bulls’ victory.
LaVine missed the past 17 games with a right foot injury, while Nikola Vucevic missed the past 5 games with a strained left adductor.
CHICAGO — Coby White had 22 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, and the Chicago Bulls welcomed back Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic with a 104-91 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night.
DeMar DeRozan added 17 points for Chicago, which had lost three of four. Andre Drummond grabbed 10 rebounds in his sixth consecutive game with double-digit boards.
LaVine scored 15 points while playing almost 30 minutes in his first game since Nov. 28. Vucevic had 11 points and seven rebounds in 25 minutes while also playing as a reserve.
LaVine was sidelined for 17 games because of inflammation in his right foot. Vucevic missed the past five games with a strained left adductor.
While LaVine and Vucevic returned, Alex Caruso was a late scratch for Chicago because of a sore neck.
Bridges scored 28 points for the Hornets, who closed out a 1-5 road trip. Terry Rozier had 15 points on 5-for-17 shooting, and Cody Martin finished with 13 points.
Chicago pulled away when it opened the fourth quarter with a 16-4 run. Ayo Dosunmu made a 3-pointer and followed that up with another basket, and DeRozan converted a three-point play to make it 90-73 with 7:41 left.
LaVine made his presence felt at the end of the first half. He went in for a breakaway dunk and followed with a 3-pointer to give the Bulls a 47-41 at the break.
White led the Bulls with 11 points and LaVine scored nine points in the first half in 15 minutes. Bridges led the Hornets with 17 on 7-of-11 shooting.
Bulls’ Zach LaVine provides update on injury after return to action.
When the Chicago Bulls started the season at 5-14, nothing was going right. And despite the fact that they’ve turned things around since, they’re still dealing with a serious case of the injury bug. A ton of their top players have missed significant time, yet they’ve managed to pull themselves into the Play-In race.
Zach LaVine missed 17 games from November 30 to January 3, but while he was out, the Bulls completely turned their season around. Since he’s been back, the Bulls have gone 4-2, dropping a tough game to the Golden State Warriors and a blowout against the Cleveland Cavaliers. They’re still trending in the right direction.
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