Getty Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks, who scored a career high in points against the Chicago Bulls.
After four quarters of fast-paced and exciting basketball, the Chicago Bulls and the Atlanta Hawks decided to give fans the gift of free basketball. Overtime didn’t disappoint and it took going 4 extra periods for the Bulls to finally take down the Hawks. Despite the loss, Trae Young and his career-high 49 points stole the show as he led the Hawks to a season-best 161 points. Zach Lavine led the way for the Bulls with a monster 47 point outing.
Lauri Markkanen chipped in 31 points and 17 rebounds while Otto Porter Jr. contributed 31 of his own to lead the Bulls. Alex Len had a productive 24/10 off the bench and Dewayne Dedmon posted a double-double to go with 4 blocks and 2 steals. Stat lines were generally inflated all-around due to the incredibly high number of minutes played, but the teams had a combined 14 players score in double figures.
Trae Young Rekindles Luka Doncic Debate On the Back of Career High Scoring Night
On the back of his monster performance, Young inserted himself back into the rookie of the year discussion that Luka Doncic was previously running away with. A dynamic offensive talent capable of scoring at all three levels, Young’s 49 points bested his previous career-high of 36.
Averaging 20.9 points per game to go with 5.7 assists and 7.3 rebounds, Doncic has steadily improved his incredibly well-rounded stat line as the year has progressed. While he doesn’t have the same explosive scoring ability that Young brings to the table, Doncic is able to impact the game in a variety of different ways and has shown to be an increasingly efficient scorer. One of the most polished and well-rounded products in recent years, Doncic is posting a rookie stat line the world hasn’t seen since that kid from Akron took the league by storm in 2003.
Although Doncic’s steady improvement makes it a tall task for Young to overtake him in the Rookie of the Year debate, Young’s recent play indicates that he is far from willing to throw in the towel in the matchup. Coming out of the All-Star break, Young has averaged 31.3 points per game (per ESPN.com). Just prior to tonight’s effort, Young posted a career-high 36 points in an outing against the Rockets on March 25th and followed that up with another 36 point game against the Timberwolves. If Young can continue his improved play and efficient scoring, his volume alone will undoubtedly force his name back into serious contention for the Rookie of the Year award.
Lauri Markkanen Shines in Bulls Win
GettyLauri Markkanen of the Chicago Bulls, who shined in the overtime thriller, celebrating.
Lauri Markkanen showed once more why he was worthy of his lottery pick status with a very efficient 31 points on just 18 shots. Markkanen also registered a game-high 17 rebounds and spaced the floor, knocking down 3 of 6 shots from deep. Markkanen’s continued development since returning from injury has been one of the highlights of a dismal Bulls season. In fact, Markkanen’s recent play has been a key reason as to why the Bulls have moved out of the race for Zion Williamson and have been winning games as of late.