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UNC Basketball: Coby White’s 21 points and 10 rebounds fuel Chicago

By Blake Cockrum

Jan 5, 2021; Portland, Oregon, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (0) drives to the basket against Portland Trail Blazers forward Harry Giles III (4) during the second half at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 5, 2021; Portland, Oregon, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (0) drives to the basket against Portland Trail Blazers forward Harry Giles III (4) during the second half at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports /
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Former UNC standout Coby White drops 21 points and 10 rebounds on Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers.

For the second consecutive game and third time this season, Chicago Bulls point guard Coby White scored better than 20 points against a Western Conference opponent. On Tuesday night, it was a team-high 21 points against Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers, but he poured in 23 points against the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday and 20 against the Golden State Warriors on December 27.

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White is averaging a modest 13.4 points per game in five Eastern Conference matchups, but a staggering 21.3 against the trio of perennial West powers. And although it’s a small sample size, White may not want to leave the West Coast with numbers like those.

His latest 20-point effort fueled the Bulls to their second straight victory — a back-and-forth 111-108 game — and evened their season record at 4-4. He connected on 8-of-19 shots for the game and 2-of-7 from three-point range, while knocking down 3-of-4 at the free throw line and pulling down a career-best 10 rebounds. He also dished out five assists to just two turnovers in 39 minutes of play. In doing so, White became the second-youngest (Derrick Rose) Chicago player to record 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a game since 1983.

Along with Otto Porter, Jr. (19 points, 13 rebounds) and Zach LaVine (18 points, nine assists), White and company were able to withstand 50 points from Lillard and back court running mate C.J. McCollum. The Blazers were leading 100-98 late in the fourth quarter before Chicago closed the game out on a 13-8 run that included four points and a rebound from White.

Tuesday night’s game is just another example of why White should have been in the Bulls’ starting lineup long before he was, and that the head coaching change in Chicago was greatly needed. White is now averaging 16.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game, and shooting better than 36 percent from three-point range.

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Check back with Keeping It Heel for all the latest on Coby White, and UNC basketball alumni throughout the league.

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