NBA Top Five Performances, Jan. 19: Zach Lavine’s 30-Point Performance Gives Chicago Bulls Victory in Paris

LaVine had his eighth 30-point game of the season.

TOP PLAYER OF THE DAY:

Zach LaVine showcased his talent overseas with 30 points, five rebounds and four assists against the Detroit Pistons. LaVine said games like this will build chemistry and help Chicago over the second half of the season.

“The trip was great for us going forward,” LaVine said. “Going into the 2nd half of the season, spending time together and bonding a little bit. It was a great experience overall but I don’t think it would have been worth it if we came here and didn’t get the win. Now we get to go home and keep this same chemistry.”

OTHERS:

- Jayson Tatum’s double-double propelled the Boston Celtics to an overtime win against the Golden State Warriors. Tatum had 34 points, 19 rebounds and six assists. His 13 points in the fourth quarter/overtime helped give Boston the late push.

- Minnesota Timberwolves point guard D’Angelo Russell had a monster fourth quarter to win over the Toronto Raptors. Sixteen of Russell’s 25 points came in the final period. Performances like these show why teams have expressed interest in Russell.

- Mikal Bridges’ 28-point performance gave the Phoenix Suns another win in the absences of Chris Paul and Devin Booker. Bridges is averaging 21.2 points, 6.2 assists and 1.2 steals in his last five games.

- Joel Embiid added another high-scoring game to his MVP case this season. Embiid’s 33 points, nine rebounds and three blocks led the Philadelphia 76ers to their fourth consecutive road victory. While James Harden had a triple-double, it was Embiid that controlled the game for Philadelphia.

Jayden Armant is a contributor to Inside the Heat. He is a student at Howard University. He can be reached at jayden.armant@bison.howard.edu or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.