Chicago Bulls: Coby White busts loose amidst a polarizing victory

Sunday night, the Chicago Bulls went for their revenge against the New York Knicks after losing to them earlier this year.

At one point, the Bulls were up by 12 in the first half. But, the Knicks came back and made it interesting.

The game became closer largely in part due to the officiating. Usually, it feels like a copout to blame the refs. In this one, though, the officials certainly favored the Knicks.

Things got a little tense, too, because both DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso received technicals after arguing different no-calls of their own. In the first half alone, the Knicks went to the free throw line 18 times.

It wasn’t until late in the fourth quarter that the Bulls finally started to get some calls. The phrase, ‘better late than never,’ certainly applied in this one. Down the stretch, it was DeRozan and Zach LaVine who got to the line a couple of times after attacking the basket and knocked down some free throws.

The Chicago Bulls pulled out the win after battling through some tough calls, and Coby White was a big reason why.

Speaking of late in the game, Coby White finally came alive — and it was excellent timing on his part. The Bulls battled back and forth with the Knicks in the third quarter, but when the fourth quarter began, it was White’s time.

After looking lost in his first couple of games back, White poured in 10 points in the fourth quarter, including a trio of three-pointers. He ended the night with 14 points and a pair of assists in 21 minutes.

White’s three makes from distance were huge, momentum-shifting buckets. He got the crowd on their feet and the United Center got rowdy. That was the difference in this game.

With the Bulls getting in foul trouble in the first half, and needing more minutes from White, he delivered. Chicago was forced into using a four-guard rotation for much of the night, which included White. He finally looked himself, and it was the pleasant surprise of the night.

Again, it was also quite possibly the difference between winning and losing this game for the Bulls. Chicago ended up winning by a score of 109-103, and after the game, the players knew it was all about White.

During White’s postgame interview, LaVine and Derrick Jones Jr. came over and gave him a Gatorade shower to congratulate him. These guys knew it was his night.

Monday, the Bulls look to continue their winning ways as they go for three in a row when taking on the Indiana Pacers at home.