Central Notes: White, Porter, Cade

Having been fully given the keys to the Bulls‘ offense in the wake of Chicago’s Zach LaVine deadline trade, guard Coby White has been playing at the highest level of his career of late, writes Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune.

Across 16 of his last 17 contests, the 6’5″ pro has notched 20 or more points. He and LaVine are the only Chicago players ever to have notched over 400 points and 40 triples in a single month. With his first made triple scored against Charlotte on Sunday during an ongoing matchup, White has now become the Bulls’ most frequent single-season three-point shooter ever.

“I’m not going to limit myself to anything,” White said. “I’m going to continue to get better, continue to be who I am and put my all into this game. Whatever happens after that happens.”

There’s more out of the Central Division:

• Newly acquired Bucks guard Kevin Porter Jr. enjoyed a superlative performance for Milwaukee in a critical 121-115 overtime victory over the Heat on Saturday, writes Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Porter scored 24 points, grabbed 12 boards and dished out eight dimes. He has been counted on more to create downhill in the wake of Damian Lillard‘s blood clot-necessitated absence. Porter also sealed the win with a clutch late bucket beneath the basket. “Fortunate enough I’ve been in those moments where one shot can win the game, or one play, so I just trusted my work, trusted myself and I felt good and confident when I got the trust in my teammates to make that last play,” Porter said. “Those are the moments we live for. I love being in those moments, and I’ll take that shot every chance I get.”
• Pistons All-Star guard Cade Cunningham missed two weeks of action with a left calf contusion. In his first game back for Detroit, a 109-103 loss to Memphis on Saturday, Cunningham looked pretty much like himself, scoring 25 points, nine boards, and four dimes. Per The Athletic’s Hunter Patterson, Cunningham asserted that he was comfortable returning to the hardwood. “I got hit in my left calf and then it made my right calf tighten up a lot,” Cunningham said of the initial injury. “So it’s just a lot going on. I got sick at the same time, so it was just trying to battle a lot of different things. (Our) training staff got me right, though. I feel great now. So, I feel good going into the playoffs. It was a good game for me to try to shake off the rust.”