Bulls' Coby White, DeMar DeRozan Applauded by NBA Fans for ...
Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images
The Chicago Bulls are one win away from the playoffs.
Chicago defeated the Atlanta Hawks 131-116 in Wednesday's Eastern Conference play-in tournament showdown at the United Center. It earned a date against the Miami Heat on Friday, and the winner of that one will clinch the Eastern Conference's No. 8 seed and a first-round matchup against the top-seeded Boston Celtics.
It was an offensive show for the victors, and Coby White directed it.
He finished with 42 points, nine rebounds, six assists and two steals behind 15-of-21 shooting from the field, while Nikola Vučević (24 points and 12 rebounds), DeMar Derozan (22 points, nine assists and six boards), and Ayo Dosunmu (19 points) also played well.
Dejounte Murray spearheaded the losing effort for the Hawks with 30 points, but it was White and the Bulls who drew the love from social media:
COBY FROM GENEVA.<a href="https://twitter.com/CobyWhite?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CobyWhite</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SeeRed?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SeeRed</a> <a href="https://t.co/Ykhke3cl5c">pic.twitter.com/Ykhke3cl5c</a>
Is Coby White the NBA's most underrated offensive player? <a href="https://t.co/DdEfid8fMB">pic.twitter.com/DdEfid8fMB</a>
DEMAR AND-ONE ????<br><br>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/chicagobulls?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@chicagobulls</a>)<a href="https://t.co/3wI3QViFf8">pic.twitter.com/3wI3QViFf8</a>
Bulls end the 1Q on a 16-2 run.<br><br>LOCKED IN ???? <a href="https://t.co/30YIwGE0iL">pic.twitter.com/30YIwGE0iL</a>
Coby White > Trae Young
i love coby white's game, man
Coby White has had a series of amazing moves off the dribble tonight. He broke some ankles earlier and just finished a spinning layup in traffic there.
Coby good LORD
THEN THE OFFENSIVE REBOUND AND DISH FOR JAVONTE DUNK<br><br>GIVE HIM THE MIP RIGHT DAMN NOW YOU COWARDS
COBY MF'IN WHITE
Coby White deserves this kind of stage. Wow.
COBY SPIN CYCLE ????️<a href="https://twitter.com/CobyWhite?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CobyWhite</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SeeRed?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SeeRed</a> <a href="https://t.co/9ym97RJbUW">pic.twitter.com/9ym97RJbUW</a>
NBA voters gonna feel real dumb not voting Coby White MIP after he leads them to the East Finals
Bulls are doing exactly what they should be doing against this pathetic Hawks defense: driving it right down their throat. DeMar, Coby and Ayo are destroying them off the dribble.
DeMar DeRozan looking at that next contract <a href="https://t.co/e2NdAvHFyR">pic.twitter.com/e2NdAvHFyR</a>
A lot of people told me that DeRozan was washed!!! Man wasn't that a lie
This is the first game in a long time where DeRozan wasn't the best player on the Bulls<br><br>Coby has been amazing. Just tied his career-high 37 points with a deep three<br><br>Coby chants at the UC
Signs pointed to the Bulls ahead of the game considering it was at home, they defeated the Hawks in two of their three regular-season matchups and Trae Young—who missed 23 games down the stretch—was playing with a wrap to protect his surgically repaired finger before he took it off for the second half.
And things went according to script at the start when the Bulls poured in 40 points in the first quarter alone while jumping out to a commanding 18-point lead.
That momentum was put on temporary hold when Alex Caruso exited after his own teammate, Andre Drummond, ran into him. Without Chicago's best defender on the floor, Murray and the Hawks were unstoppable on their way to 45 points in the second quarter.
But the second half belonged to Chicago.
The offensive onslaught included Vučević showing soft touch around the rim, DeRozan facilitating and Dosunmu providing a scoring spark.
Yet the story was White.
Chicago pulled away as he consistently maneuvered his way to the rim, created opportunities in transition and electrified the home crowd while putting the team on his back. The fourth quarter was nothing but a formality as a result, and a repeat performance from White against Miami could propel the Bulls into the postseason.
