By R.L. Bynum
Coby White continues to play consistently well for the Chicago Bulls, but there’s nothing like coming home and rebounding from a performance that “ticked” him off.
After scoring 27 points on Jan. 8 in a win at Charlotte, he returned to his home state on Wednesday to pour in a season-high 35 points in the Bulls’ 117–110 road victory over the Hornets to hand them their fifth consecutive loss.
“We couldn’t stop Coby White,” Charlotte’s Miles Bridges said. “Coby White, [Nikola Vucevic], they had a good two-man connection going. We couldn’t stop Coby in the clutch. If we got like three stops on Coby, we win the game.”
White, who scored four 3-pointers, aggressively drove to the basket and finished with nine assists and seven rebounds after he scored only 13 points in Tuesday’s 118–107 home loss to Toronto.
“I personally don’t think he was happy the way he played,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said of White’s play against the Raptors. “And that’s the one thing I admire and respect about him is he’s very introspective. He can course-correct pretty quickly. He was really aggressive, he got downhill and did a lot of really good things and opened up things for himself and our team.”
His 29.4 game score was second only this season to his 29.7 when he had 26 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists on Jan. 22 in a loss at Phoenix. White said that he had renewed vigor because of the way Tuesday’s game went.
“The biggest thing is winning and losing, and the loss [to the Raptors] kind of ticked me off because, down the stretch, it was a winnable game for us,” said White, who scored 15 in Chicago’s 104–96 Sunday win at Portland and 25 in Thursday’s 141–132 road loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. “I attack every game the same, but, obviously, I wanted to come out [Wednesday] and be a lot more aggressive.”
It was White’s best scoring game since he netted 36 points on Jan. 6, 2021, at Sacramento.
White scored 10 fourth-quarter points, and gave the Bulls (23–26) a 10-point lead on a drive between two defenders with 1:26 left.
Leaky Black had three points on a 3-pointer, with one rebound, one assist and one steal in 13 minutes for Charlotte (10–36).
Harrison Barnes scored 20 points and four 3-pointers in Saturday’s 120–115 Sacramento win at Dallas, but had 12 points in Monday’s 103–94 victory at Memphis and nine in Wednesday’s 115–106 loss at Miami. The Kings (27–19) are 3–1 on a road trip that concludes with games at Indiana Friday, at Chicago on Saturday and at Cleveland on Monday.
After missing Saturday’s 106–104 Brooklyn home win over Houston for personal reasons, Cameron Johnson scored 17 points in Monday’s 147–114 home win over Utah and 18 in Wednesday’s 136–120 home loss to Phoenix, scoring three 3-pointers in both games.
Day’Ron Sharpe is dealing with a hyperextended left knee and hasn’t played in the Nets’ last 10 games.
Nassir Little played one scoreless minute in the Suns’ win at Brooklyn after playing two scoreless minutes in Phoenix’s 113–98 Saturday loss at Orlando and not playing (coach’s decision) in the Suns’ previous two games.
Cole Anthony scored 11 points in Orlando’s 108–98 Wednesday win at San Antonio, just as he did in Monday’s 131–129 loss at Dallas. That came after scoring only five in both Sunday’s 113–98 home win over Phoenix and Friday’s 107–106 loss at Memphis.
Walker Kessler had 10 points and three blocks in Utah’s 133–121 Saturday win at Charlotte, 11 points and seven rebounds in Monday’s 147–114 loss at Brooklyn and six points, six rebounds and four blocks in Tuesday’s 118–103 loss at New York.
Reggie Bullock has played in only one of Houston’s last four games, scoring five points in eight minutes in the Rockets’ 138–104 Friday victory at Charlotte.
In the G League, Theo Pinson collected 25 points, six 3-pointers, five rebounds, four steals and three assists in the Texas Legends’ 121–103 Wednesday win at Austin. He had 19 points in Friday’s 122–118 home loss to Iowa and five points in a 126–117 Saturday loss to Iowa.
Justin Jackson scored 27 points and seven 3-pointers for Texas on Saturday, 16 points on Wednesday and nine points on Friday. Tony Bradley didn’t play Friday, but had 16 points and 10 rebounds Saturday, with 13 points and six rebounds Wednesday.
Pete Nance, after not playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday and Monday, was back in the G League and had 11 points, five rebounds, five assists and three blocks Wednesday in the Cleveland Charge’s 119–118 win over the Greensboro Swarm.
Cole Anthony, Orlando Magic guard
Age 23 | 6–3, 185 | fourth NBA season | $5,539,771 salary | UNC 2019–20 (1 season)
113–88 Sunday win vs. Milwaukee — 17 minutes, 13 points, 5–9 FG, 1–3 3PFG, 2–2 FT, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover 3 fouls, +13
Season statistics — 81 games, 11.6 points, 43.5 FG%, 33.8 3P%, 82.6 FT%, 3.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists
Record — Finished 47–35, 5th in Eastern Conference; Next game — Saturday, Game 1 of the first-round series as No. 5 East seed at No. 4 Cleveland
Harrison Barnes, Sacramento Kings forward
Age 31 | 6–8, 225 | 12th NBA season | $17,000,000 salary | UNC 2010–12 (2 seasons)
121–82 Sunday win vs. Portland — Started; 31 minutes, 17 points, 5–8 FG, 2–4 3FG, 5–7 FT, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnovers, 1 foul, +37
Season statistics — 82 games, 12.2 points, 47.4 FG%, 38.7 3P%, 80.1 FT%, 3.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists
Record — Finished 46–36, tied for 9th in Western Conference; Next game — 10 p.m. Tuesday as No. 9 seed in play-in tournament vs. No. 10 Golden State, TNT (loser eliminated)
Leaky Black, Charlotte Hornets guard
Age 24 | 6–9, 209 | rookie NBA season | Two-way contract | UNC 2018–23 (5 seasons)
120–110 Sunday win at Cleveland — 32 minutes, 11 points, 4–4 FG, 2–2 3FG, 1–1 FT, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 3 fouls, +22
NBA season statistics — 26 games, 2.7 points, 48.1 FG%, 45.0 3FG%, 66.7 FT%, 1.8 rebounds, 0.9 of an assist
G League season statistics — 25 games, 7.1 points, 43.7 FG%, 33.3 3FG%, 61.9 FT%, 6.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.5 of a block
Record — Finished 21–61, 13th in Eastern Conference;
Reggie Bullock, Houston Rockets guard
Age 32 | 6–6, 205 | 11th NBA season | $10,489,600 salary | UNC 2010–13 (3 seasons)
116–106 Sunday loss at Los Angeles Clippers — 6 minutes, 0 points, 0–1 FG, 0–1 3FG, 3 rebounds, 1 turnovers, 1 foul, -1
Season statistics — 44 games, 2.2 points, 41.5 FG%, 40.3 3P%, 1–1 FT, 1.7 rebounds, 0.3 of an assist
Record — Finished 41–41, 11th in Western Conference
Cameron Johnson, Brooklyn Nets forward
Age 27 | 6–8, 210 | fifth NBA season | $25,679,348 salary | UNC 2017–19 (2 seasons)
107–86 Sunday loss at Philadelphia — Didn’t play (left big toe sprain); missed last two games
Season statistics — 58 games, 13.4 points, 44.6 FG%, 39.1 3P%, 78.9 FT%, 4.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists
Record — Finished 32–50, 11th in Eastern Conference
Walker Kessler, Utah Jazz center
Age 22 | 7–0, 245 | second NBA season | $2,831,160 salary | UNC 2020–21 (1 season)
123–116 Sunday loss at Golden State — Didn’t play (nasal fracture); missed last six games
Season statistics — 64 games, 8.1 points, 65.5 FG%, 21.1 3P%, 60.2 FT%, 7.5 rebounds, 0.9 of an assist, 2.4 blocks
Record — Finished 31–51, 12th in Western Conference
Nassir Little, Phoenix Sun wing
Age 23 | 6–4, 220 | fifth NBA season | $6,250,060 salary | UNC 2018–19 (1 season)
125–106 Sunday win at Minnesota — 5 minutes, 4 points, 2–3 FG, 0–1 3FG, -5
Season statistics — 45 games, 3.4 points, 46.0 FG%, 30.0 3P%, 85.0 FT%, 1.7 rebounds, 0.5 of an assist
Record — Finished 49–33, 6th in Western Conference; Next game — Saturday, Game 1 of the first-round series as No. 6 seed at No. 3 Minnesota
Day’Ron Sharpe, Brooklyn Nets center
Age 21 | 6–9, 265 | third NBA season | $2,210,040 salary | UNC 2020–21 (1 season)
107–86 Sunday loss at Philadelphia — Didn’t play (wrist injury); missed three of last six games
Season statistics — 61 games, 6.8 points, 57.1 FG%, 26.7 3P%, 51.0 FT%, 6.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists
Record — Finished 32–50, 11th in Eastern Conference
Coby White, Chicago Bulls guard
Age 23 | 6–5, 195 | fifth NBA season | $11,111,111 salary | UNC 2018–19 (1 season)
120–119 Sunday overtime loss at New York — Started; 43 minutes, 26 points, 12–18 FG, 0–3 3FG, 2–2 FT, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, +1
Season statistics — 79 games, 19.1 points, 44.7 FG%, 37.6 3P%, 83.8 FT%, 4.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists
Record — Finished 39–43, 9th in Eastern Conference; Next game — 9:30 Wednesday as No. 9 seed vs. No. 10 Atlanta in play-in tournament, ESPN (loser eliminated)
In G League
Tony Bradley, Texas Legends center
Age 25 | 6–11, 248 | seventh pro season | UNC 2016–17 (1 season)
Season statistics — 17 games, 14.1 points, 67.1 FG%, 71.9 FT%, 9.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.6 block
Record — Finished 18–16, 9th in Western Conference; finished 6–10 in Showcase Cup
Justin Jackson, Texas Legends guard
Age 28 | 6–8, 220 | seventh pro season | UNC 2014–17 (3 seasons)
Season G League statistics — 44 games, 19.9 points, 46.4 FG%, 40.5 3P%, 85.0 FT%, 5.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 0.7 of a steal, 0.5 of a block
Season NBA statistics (with Minnesota) — 2 games, 1 minute, 0 points
Record — Finished 18–16, 9th in Western Conference; finished 6–10 in Showcase Cup
Pete Nance, Cleveland Charge
Age 23 | 6–10, 225 | rookie pro season | UNC 2022–23 (1 season)
G League season statistics — 42 games; 13.2 points, 46.8 FG%, 35.8 3FG%, 74.5 FT%, 8.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 0.8 of a steal, 1.5 blocks
Season NBA season statistics (with Cleveland) — 8 games, 27 minutes, 3 points, 1–6 FG, 1–1 3FG, 0–2 FT, 3 rebounds, 1 turnover, 1 steal, 2 fouls
Record — Finished 15–7, 11th in Eastern Conference; finished 6–10 in Showcase Cup
Theo Pinson, Texas Legends guard
Age 27 | 6–7, 212 | sixth pro season | UNC 2014–18 (4 seasons)
Season statistics — 46 games, 14.8 points, 42.6 FG%, 38.2 3P%, 82.2 FT%, 6.2 rebounds, 7.1 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.7 of a block
Record — Finished 18–16, 9th in Western Conference; finished 6–10 in Showcase Cup
Photo via @chicagobulls
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