Zach Lavine calls himself one of the best on-ball defenders in the NBA / News - Basketnews.com

Zach Lavine made a crucial defensive stop against Kyle Anderson Friday night to force overtime. After the game, the Bulls guard said that not a lot of players can get past him in on-ball one-on-one situations.

Credit: Shaina Benhiyoun/Sport Press Photo via ZUMA Press - Scanpix Credit Shaina Benhiyoun/Sport Press Photo via ZUMA Press - Scanpix

Zach LaVine made a crucial defensive against Kyle Anderson stop at the very end of the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves Friday night to force overtime in a game the Chicago Bulls ultimately went on to win.

Player of the Game EFF 55 DeMar DeRozan Points 49 Accuracy 15-25 Rebounds 14 Assists 4

After the match, LaVine wanted to address the notion that he's not a good defender.

"People can talk about my defense all they want to," the guard said after the game. "I've always been one of the best on-ball defenders. One-on-one situations, there's not a lot of people that are going to get by me."

Lavine has a defensive rating of 115, which is considered average league-wide. Per Cleaning the Glass, opponents score 0.5 points more per 100 possessions when he's on the court compared to when he's not, placing him in the 48th percentile among wings in the league.

However, the Bulls are currently 5th in the league with a 111.9 defensive rating, 4th in opponent fast break points, 5th in opponent points in the paint, and 3rd in opponent second-chance points.

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