CHICAGO – Coby White drew roars from the crowd early on with vicious crossovers and spins toward the basket. He was so effective he had fans chanting his name as the final minutes ticked away.
It was that kind of night.
White scored a career-high 42 points, and the Chicago Bulls advanced in the play-in tournament, knocking out the Atlanta Hawks with a 131-116 victory on Wednesday.
White had never scored more than 37 points in a regular season or postseason game. But in a breakthrough season, he delivered his best performance to date.
“It was a dope moment for that to happen,” White said. “I’m thankful for the fans. It felt like a playoff vibe. The place was rocking tonight.”
Chicago visits Miami on Friday for a shot at the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs and a first-round matchup with Boston. The Heat lost 105-104 to Philadelphia on Wednesday.
Dejounte Murray led Atlanta with 30 points. But the Hawks came up short again after dropping their final six regular-season games.
Nikola Vucevic had 24 points and 12 rebounds for Chicago. DeMar DeRozan finished with 22 points and nine assists.
But White stole the spotlight. He went hard at the rim and made 15 of 21 field goals in a game where the Bulls shot 56.8% from the field. He also had nine rebounds and six assists.
“I root for guys that work hard and are great people,” Murray said. “DeMar DeRozan’s a brother to me and he speaks highly of him. He says he works hard, he’s a great guy, he’s handled his business, he’s a professional on and off the floor. When I hear those things, I root for guys around the league just to have success. I think he’s always been good. He never really got the opportunity to showcase what he’s showcasing now, and the sky’s the limit.”
Atlanta’s Trae Young and Clint Capela each scored 22. Young, who missed 23 games late in the regular season because of a torn ligament in his left pinkie, had 10 assists but committed six turnovers. Capela grabbed 17 rebounds. Bogdan Bogdanovic added 21 points. / AP