Chicago Bulls honor Zach LaVine during win over Sacramento Kings
Zach LaVine had another big game in his return to Chicago, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the Sacramento Kings from suffering another loss.
Matas Buzelis scored 27 points to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 126-113 victory before a crowd of 19,017 at United Center.
Josh Giddey had 20 points, eight rebounds and 13 assists for the Bulls (4-0), one of four unbeaten teams in the NBA. Former Kings guard Kevin Huerter came off the bench to score 18 points, going 6 of 8 from the field and 3 of 5 from 3-point range.
LaVine scored 30 points for the Kings (1-4), posting his fourth 30-point game of the season, but it came in another losing effort.
“We want the wins,” LaVine said. “I think we’re playing at a level where we can have them. We’re just not putting a complete game together.”
DeMar DeRozan had 19 points, five rebounds and five assists for Sacramento. Domantas Sabonis had 18 points, 11 rebounds and six assists.
The Bulls outscored the Kings 70-60 on points in the paint with a 26-8 advantage during the decisive third quarter.
“It hurt us quite a bit,” Christie said. “Just getting downhill and people running in your paint is not what we’re trying to do or what we’re about. That was one of the topics of conversations afterwards. We have to stand our ground. We have to be in gaps.”
LaVine returned to Chicago for the first time since being traded to Sacramento in February. The Bulls paid tribute to LaVine with a nice video montage and a big ovation during a first-quarter timeout.
“This felt like I came home,” LaVine said. “I love Chicago. I love you guys. Through ups and downs, I’ve grown my family here. I’ve had major moments, low points. I became a man here, so it was very appreciative, but I think the love is reciprocal. ... I’ll always love Chicago.”
LaVine started his career with the Minnesota Timberwolves after coming out of UCLA as the 13th pick in the 2014 NBA draft. The Bulls acquired LaVine, Kriss Dunn and the draft rights to Lauri Markkanen in the June 2017 trade that sent Jimmy Butler to Minnesota.
LaVine spent eight seasons in Chicago, averaging 24.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 416 games with back-to-back All-Star selections in 2021-22. He came to Sacramento in February as part of the blockbuster trade that sent De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs.
Halftime report
The Kings came out cold, going 0 of 6 from 3-point range to start the game. The Bulls staged a 9-0 run to take a 24-12 lead on a 3-pointer by Buzelis before Monk provided a spark off the Sacramento bench.
Monk knocked down a 3-pointer, dished to Sabonis for a dunk and threw down a dunk of his own as the Kings came back to cut the deficit to three at the end of the first quarter. The Kings kept coming in the second quarter, outscoring the Bulls 12-4 over the first 4:22 to take a 45-40 lead on a layup by Sabonis.
Sacramento went on a 7-0 run to take a 58-46 lead on a driving layup by LaVine with 4:12 to play in the first half. Chicago cut the deficit to two after ending the half with a 9-0 run.
The Kings hit just 4 of 13 from 3-point range but otherwise played one of their best halves of the season, shooting 64.4% from the field with 19 assists on 29 made baskets and only five turnovers. They had a 42-36 advantage on points in the paint and a 16-7 advantage in fastbreak points.
Second-half summary
The start of the second half was a different story for Sacramento. The Kings were outscored 13-2 over the first 2:36 as the Bulls opened up a 75-66 lead early in the third period.
Chicago took a 94-84 lead on a layup by Jalen Smith. Sacramento came back to cut the deficit to five late in the third quarter, but the Bulls led 101-91 going into the fourth.
The Bulls went up by 15 early in the fourth and the Kings never recovered. They trailed by as many as 17 following a 3-pointer by Huerter with 7:40 remaining.
Up next
The Kings will make the third stop on this four-game road trip when they visit the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday at Fiserv Forum.
The Bucks (3-1) will face the Golden State Warriors on Thursday before playing host to the Kings. Giannis Antetokounmpo has been a monster, averaging 36.3 points, 14.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.3 blocks.
This story was originally published October 29, 2025 at 7:39 PM.
