A couple weeks ago, the Bulls were 3-20, plastered at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. But Monday's 117-115 victory over the 76ers marked their sixth straight win.
Point guard Kris Dunn and Nikola Mirotic led the Bulls with 22 points apiece. Mirotic also hauled in 13 rebounds. The Bulls have not lost since Mirotic made his season debut December 8.
Seven Bulls scored at least 10 points Monday, including Bobby Portis' 12-point, 10-rebound performance off the bench. Chicago (9-20) is still outside postseason position in the East, but things are certainly looking up.
Dario Saric led the 76ers with 27 points and eight rebounds, while rookie point guard Ben Simmons added 19 points with 11 rebounds and nine assists.
Meanwhile, the Lakers honored Kobe Bryant Monday night by retiring both his No. 8 and No. 24 jersey. Bryant, a five-time NBA champion, made 18 All-Star games with the Lakers.
Stud of the Night
Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving scored 30 points on 12-of-23 shooting with four assists to help lead Boston to a thrilling 112-111 win over the Pacers. The Celtics led by 17 after the first quarter, but had to force a late turnover to edge out Indiana.
Rockets center Clint Capela scored 24 points on 10-of-12 shooting with 20 rebounds to lead Houston 120-99 win over the Jazz. The Rockets are now riding a 14-game winning streak — team's longest since 2008, won 22 straight — and they are 15-0 with Chris Paul in the lineup this season.
Russell Westbrook scored a season-high 38 points with nine rebounds, six assists and three steals to lead the Thunder to a 95-94 win over the Nuggets.
Dud of the Night
Trail Blazers guard Evan Turner scored just five points with six assists and two rebounds in a 108-107 loss to the Timberwolves. In 37 minutes, Turner did little on offense, and Minnesota shooting guard Jimmy Butler put up 37 points.
Highlight
Jayson Tatum throws down a violent slam:
📸JAYSON TATUM📸#NBARooks pic.twitter.com/PMVb38UUBN
— NBA (@NBA) December 19, 2017
Larry Nance Jr. tried to steal Bryant's thunder by providing some of his own:
Larry drops the hammer! Big-time slam by Junior! #LakeShow (📺: @SpectrumSN, @spectdeportes, NBA TV) pic.twitter.com/PIOH2fin9k
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) December 19, 2017
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What's Next
Cavaliers (23-8) at Bucks (15-13) 8:00 p.m. ET — Cleveland has lost just one game since Nov. 9, proving its ready to contend once again in the East. LeBron James should be inspired after watching Kobe Bryant get his jersey numbers retired Monday. The inconsistent Bucks have lost three straight games, but are still in the playoff hunt.