NBA Power Rankings: Everything revolves around LeBron James

The Bulls had a 28-9 lead over the Kings in their first game of the week, but managed to let that early lead slip away in a 104-98 loss on the road. They had good effort on defense early, but checked out on that end after the first quarter — Paul Zipser was the only Bulls player with a blocked shot in the game.

They rallied behind Zach LaVine against the Timberwolves, spoiling Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson’s return to Chicago after the two players left the organization in the last offseason. Zach LaVine had a season-high 35 points, with three free throws with 18 seconds remaining giving them a lead that they were able to protect on the Timberwolves final possession. They weren’t able to solve the Wizards defense on Saturday, losing 101-90 on their home court. LaVine didn’t start against Washington, sitting out the second game of the back to back as he works his way back to full health.