By R.L. Bynum
One of Coby White’s best shooting and scoring games of the season wasn’t enough on a night when he had one of his worst turnover games of the season.
White scored 15 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter to nearly rally the Chicago Bulls from a 24-point second-half deficit.
In White’s sixth consecutive start without leading scorer Zach LaVine (NBA health and safety protocols) in the lineup, the Bulls fell to 3–3 in those games after a 106–101 road loss Saturday to the Miami Heat.
White’s driving dunk with 15.8 seconds left cut Chicago’s deficit to two. But Miami put the game away with three free throws in the final 12.7 seconds.
White’s 31 points were topped only by his career-high 36-point game at Sacramento on Jan. 6. He shot 11 of 18 from the floor for 61.1%, his fourth-best shooting night of the season. White made all six free-throw attempts, marking the 30th time this season he’s been perfect at the line and the third time that’s happened with at least six attempts. His 91.7% at the free-throw line ranks eighth in the league.
The negative, though, was his six turnovers, which was topped this season only by his seven-turnover game on Feb. 24 against Minnesota. That equaled his total turnovers from the previous four games combined. Half of those turnovers came in the first quarter when the Heat built a 33–18 lead.
“Just kind of carelessness, not completely focused,” said White, explaining the turnovers. “They blitzed on the ball screens. I hadn’t really gone against that this year. There were some passes I’d like to have back. But I feel like my teammates were behind me, especially the coaching staff, just kept telling me to move on to the next play. They were was just encouraging me to keep playing because we’ve got a lot of game left. So, that’s kind of what I did.”
One continued positive for White is his proficiency on catch-and-shoot 3-point attempts, although he was 3 of 9 overall from 3-point range on Saturday night.
“He’s made unbelievable progress,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. “The last five or six games, his assist-to-turnover ratio has been remarkable. Having three turnovers early in the game was disappointing. But he is really good at responding when things are not going well. A lot of guys take themselves to a place they can never recover. He recovers all the time. I always respect and admire the way he keeps competing.”
White’s 22.2 game score was his fourth-best this season behind the 31.3 in his 36-point game on Jan. 6 at Sacramento, a 23.7 in a 27-point game on April 16 against Memphis and a 22.7 in a 30-point game against New Orleans on Feb. 10. In those other three games, White had seven assists, compared to five Saturday night.
Reggie Bullock and the New York Knicks remained on a roll Saturday.
Bullock collected 16 points, three 3-pointers, three rebounds and two assists as the host Knicks blew out Toronto 120–103 for their ninth consecutive victory.
New York pushed its lead to 55–46 in the first half when Bullock made three consecutive 3-point attempts in a 97-second span.
For the 11th consecutive game, Theo Pinson didn’t play but it doesn’t mean he isn’t getting a lot of attention. His antics on the bench and support for his team are popular with his teammates, such as after a Bullock 3-pointer.
Pinson’s efforts prompted this column thanking him.
In Milwaukee’s 132–94 home romp over Philadelphia, the 76ers’ Danny Green had five points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals and Justin Jackson didn’t play for the Bucks.
Wayne Ellington had nine points and three 3-pointers in Detroit’s 115–109 loss at Indiana.
The only Tar Heel to play Friday was Tony Bradley, who had four points and three rebounds in Oklahoma City’s 129–108 home loss to Washington. The Thunder has lost 13 consecutive games.
Nassir Little didn’t get off the bench in Portland’s 130–128 home loss Friday to Memphis.
How Tar Heels did Friday & Saturday, what’s next
Cole Anthony, Orlando Magic guard
No game
Season statistics — 34 games, 11.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 38.7FG%, 30.3%3P, 82.5FT
Up next — Sunday vs. Indiana, 8 p.m.; Monday vs. Los Angeles Lakers, 7 p.m.
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Harrison Barnes, Sacramento Kings guard
No game
Season statistics — 56 games, 15.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 49.4FG%, 37.9%3P, 82.7FT%
Up next — Sunday at Golden State, 10 p.m., NBATV; Monday vs. Dallas, 10 p.m., NBATV
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Tony Bradley, Oklahoma City Thunder center/forward
129–108 Friday loss vs. Washington — 11 minutes, 4 points, 2–4 FG, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, -6, 1.9 game score
Season statistics — 35 games, 7.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 0.8 of an assist, 66.1 FG%, 0–2 3FG, 70.7FT%
Up next — Monday at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.; Tuesday at Boston, 7 p.m.
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Reggie Bullock, New York Knicks guard/forward
120–103 Saturday win vs. Toronto — 37 minutes, 16 points, 6–10 FG, 3–7 3FG, 1–1 FT, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, +1, 13.7 game score
Season statistics — 54 games, 10.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 44.0FG%, 40.7%3P, 89.4FT%
Up next — Monday vs. Phoenix, 7:30 p.m., NBATV; Wednesday vs. Chicago, 7:30 p.m.
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Ed Davis, Minnesota Timberwolves center/forward
101–96 Saturday win at Utah — Didn’t play for the third consecutive game
Season statistics — 22 games, 2.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 43.2FG%, 0–0 3FG, 83.3FT%
Up next — Monday vs. Utah, 8 p.m.; Tuesday at Houston, 9 p.m.
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Wayne Ellington, Detroit Pistons guard
115–109 Saturday loss at Indiana — 21 minutes, 9 points, 3–5 FG, 3–5 3FG, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 turnover, -9, 8.3 game score
Season statistics — 43 games, 9.7 points, 1.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 44.9FG%, 42.7 3P%, 80.0FT%
Up next — Monday vs. Atlanta, 7 p.m.; Thursday vs. Dallas, 7 p.m.
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Danny Green, Philadelphia 76ers forward
132–94 Saturday loss at Milwaukee — Started; 5 points, 1–5 FG, 1–5 3FG, 2–2 FT, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover, -12, 5.5 game score
Season statistics — 59 games, 9.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 42.0FG%, 41.7%3P, 77.1FT%
Up next — Monday vs. Oklahoma City, 7 p.m.; Wednesday vs. Atlanta, 7 p.m.
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Justin Jackson, Milwaukee Bucks forward
132–94 Saturday win vs. Philadelphia — Didn’t play
Season statistics — 33 games, 7.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 40.6FG%, 30.6%3P, 85.7FT%
Up next — Sunday at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m., NBATV; Tuesday at Charlotte, 7 p.m., NBATV, BSSE
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Cameron Johnson, Phoenix Suns wing
No game
Season statistics — 53 games, 9.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 44.3FG%, 37.7%3P, 87.8FT%
Up next — Sunday at Brooklyn, 3:30 p.m., ESPN; Monday at New York, 7:30 p.m., NBATV
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Nassir Little, Portland Blazers forward/guard
130–128 Friday loss vs. Memphis — Didn’t play
Season statistics — 39 games, 5.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, 0.5 of an assist, 46.9%FG, 37.0%3P, 82.5FT%
Up next — Sunday vs. Memphis, 4 p.m.; Tuesday at Indiana, 7 p.m.
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Theo Pinson, New York Knicks guard/forward
120–103 Saturday win vs. Toronto — Didn’t play for the 11th consecutive game
Season statistics — 14 games, 2 points, 1–9 FG, 0–8 3FG, 2 rebounds, 1 assist
Up next — Monday vs. Phoenix, 7:30 p.m., NBATV; Wednesday vs. Chicago, 7:30 p.m.
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Coby White, Chicago Bulls point guard
106–101 Saturday loss at Miami — Started; 38 minutes, 31 points, 11–18 FG, 3–9 3FG, 6–6 FT, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 6 turnovers, +4, 22.2 game score
Season statistics — 57 games, 14.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 41.7FG%, 34.7%3P, 91.7 FT%
Up next — Monday at Miami, 8 p.m.; Wednesday at New York, 7:30 p.m.
What is a game score? Here is an exclamation.
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