Zach LaVine’s quad injury that forced him to miss a game for the first time this season seemed to spoil Otto Porter’s long-awaited return — just the Bulls’ luck.
But not on this night.
Porter’s spirited performance after missing 51 games with a broken foot — 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting in 17 minutes — sparked the Bulls to a 109-107 victory over the Dallas Mavericks before 18,407 at the United Center.
Denzel Valentine — also making the most of limits restriction in his second game back from a hamstring injury — scored 17 points in 21 minutes as the Bulls (21-40) rallied from a first-half deficit to win for just the second time in 12 games.