Bulls won't sit Zach LaVine, Otto Porter Jr. due to 'competitive spirit,' Jim Boylen says

Jim Boylen indicated the Bulls won't give up on this season Saturday.

Chicago's coach said it would not sit key players like guard Zach LaVine and swingman Otto Porter Jr. for the rest of the year, despite being far from playoff contention.

Boylen said his reasoning for this was the team's "competitive spirit" ahead of the Bulls' game against the Jazz.

#Bulls won’t commit to shutting down Zach LaVine and Otto Porter Jr. now and go for draft lottery positioning because they “want to honor the principles” they’re trying to establish, Jim Boylen says. He cited “competitive spirit.”
— Cody Westerlund (@CodyWesterlund) March 23, 2019

Chicago announced that Chandler Hutchinson and Wendell Carter Jr. will sit for the remainder of 2018-19 though.

Both Chandler Hutchison and Wendell Carter Jr. are officially out for the rest of the season. - Executive VP of Basketball Operations John Paxson
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) March 23, 2019

Boylen replaced Fred Hoiberg as head coach after Chicago's 5-19 start to the season. The Bulls now enter their matchup with Utah at 21-52 and rank 13th in the Eastern Conference standings.

Chicago is among the favorites to land the top pick in the 2019 draft, but it appears Boylen would rather fight until the very end than bet on a top tier lottery selection.