The explosion was bound to happen.
After all, Bulls guard Zach LaVine lies dormant for only so long.
On a night in which the visiting Mavericks were without All-Star guard Luka Doncic, LaVine woke up.
He scored 21 points in the first quarter and 29 in the first half and finished with a season-high 39 as the Bulls won 118-108 for their first home victory of the season.
‘‘I would not consider Zach a young player,’’ Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. ‘‘But he’s had so many coaches, so many different teams, and maybe hasn’t been in a lot of meaningful games late in the season.