LaVine finished with 39 points as the Bulls advanced to take on the Miami Heat for the right to the eight seed and a playoffs first round series against Eastern Conference top seed Milwaukee Bucks.
The Bulls guard's 30-point second half was the most points he has scored in any half this season, fuelling a fightback after trailing by 19 points.
"What he did going into the third quarter and into the fourth, it would have been very, very difficult for us to have won that game if he had not done that," Donovan said about LaVine.
"His performance was extraordinary. It gave us life and it gave us hope. Then once we got back into it, I think a lot of guys made a lot of different plays.
"But I give him credit, he had that mentality that he's going to do whatever he can do to get us back into the game."
LaVine put his second-half success down to "aggressiveness" and driving to the basket, capitalising on the Raptors trying to double-team DeMar DeRozan, who had 23 points and seven rebounds. DeRozan called LaVine "amazing" and said the Bulls followed his lead.
Meanwhile, the loss ended the Raptors' season, meaning they have missed the playoffs in two of their past three seasons, putting pressure on head coach Nick Nurse to retain his job.
"It was tough," Nurse said reflecting on the 2022-23 season. "I think we had some up and downs. I thought we came out of the gates playing pretty well. Then we had to weather some injuries and we did that and once we got everybody back that got us out of rhythm and took a couple tough losses.
"I've told the guys several times in the last two weeks, I'm proud of them for getting back to .500 when they were six or seven games below .500, because we did coach them hard and work them hard to rebuilding some of the foundational stuff.
"I thought we played well enough to win tonight, it just didn’t go our way."
Nurse lamented his side's 50 per cent free-throw shooting, making 18-of-36, not helped by DeRozan's daughter Diar, who screamed with a shrill every time they had an attempt from the line.
"That's a lot of misses," Nurse said. "We left a lot of points on the board."
DeRozan laughed off his daughter's antics which caught plenty of attention on social media given her persistent nature throughout the game.
"I've just seen it, she went viral," he said. "I kept hearing something during the game and when somebody missed a free-throw I thought 'damn, is that my daughter screaming?' I was just making sure she was alright though."
DeRozan added that Diar would not be able to attend Friday's play-in game on the road against the Heat, instead needing to go back to school.
Facing his old team, LaVine was not at his sharpest and there were post-game suggestions he might be struggling physically.
LaVine, who joined Minnesota in the 2014 draft before moving to the Bulls three years later, managed just 12 points and six assists in almost 37 minutes on court.
Ultimately, it hardly mattered that he fell well short of his season's average of 24.6 points, as the Bulls pulled off a 134-122 win.
They are now 35-21 for the season and will tackle the Oklahoma City Thunder – Donovan's old team – on Saturday.
Coby White scored 22 points, Javonte Green bagged 23 and Nikola Vucevic's 26 points proved important as the Bulls were led by DeMar DeRozan's 35-point game.
It was a fifth successive 30-point game for DeRozan and Donovan saluted his "unbelievable" performance.
After quarters of 27-27, 33-32 and 32-32, the Bulls stretched clear in the fourth, which they took 42-31 to swat away the Timberwolves (29-27).
Asked afterwards about LaVine's condition, Donovan said: "I just think at this time of the year, I don't think anybody's feeling probably great.
"He's had to deal with his knee, he's had to deal with his back. It's a lot right now, and I'm sure he's not quite where he wants to be physically, but I give him a lot of credit, he's going out there and competing and playing and trying to do what he can do to help the team.
"We're going to have to work through this with him a little bit. He's trying to do everything he can to help us."
Donovan said the Bulls would "take his pulse – [see] how's he feeling, what's he going through, what's he experiencing" before finalising plans for Saturday's game.
"Zach's an elite scorer in this league and has been for quite some time," Donovan said, "but if he has a game like that you've got to try to generate good shots.
"It was great to see Javonte and Coby step up and have the offensive nights they had. DeMar's been doing it pretty consistently all year long.
"Zach tried to play the right way. I think the guys are trying to help each other and complement each other, and they're very, very unselfish based on who's going well and who's playing well."
The Bulls saw two of their games postponed earlier in December after 10 of their players had entered the protocol.
Donovan, who has cold-like symptoms according to ESPN, told the media on Thursday that all the players had been cleared, and they are expected to be available for Sunday's game against the Indiana Pacers.
He will apparently now miss that game, with Bulls assistant Chris Fleming acting as head coach.
The 56-year-old would become the fourth NBA head coach to enter into protocols, joining Sacramento's Alvin Gentry, the Lakers' Frank Vogel, and Indiana's Rick Carlisle.
Bulls guard Ball on Wednesday underwent a second arthroscopic surgery on the knee which has seen him sidelined since January.
Ball revealed on Tuesday that he is still unable to run or jump due to the pain in his left knee.
Donovan said Ball's operation "went well", although he was cautious to commit to any timeline on a return to practice or playing.
"You always try to stay optimistic that this will get resolved and he'll be fine," he said.
"But until he gets back and gets into the situations that were causing him pain, to see how he responds in being back in those situations, we'll find out more.
"I don't know how long it will take before he can actually start the rehab process."
Prior to Wednesday's procedure, the Bulls had announced they would re-evaluate Ball's status in four to six weeks, meaning he is unlikely to play in the NBA until November at the earliest, given he has not played since January 14.
"You've also got a player that's been out for nine months," Donovan said. "It's not like in three weeks, the surgery is a success, you can just throw him back out there and play.
"We haven't even gotten to the point if this all goes well with the rhythm, timing, the flow, catching up.
"He's had no competitive play since [January]. So that's a whole other scenario of when he could actually get back."
The Bulls are due to open their NBA campaign against the Miami Heat on October 19.
Ball, who was taken with the second pick overall in the 2017 NBA Draft, moved to the Bulls from the New Orleans Pelicans in August last year, averaging 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists across 35 games in the 2021-22 season.
Terms of the contract were not disclosed but Donovan, 55, arrives after leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder following five seasons in charge at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
The Bulls had been looking for a new coach since dismissing Jim Boylen in August after finishing the coronavirus-hit 2019-20 season with a 22-43 record.
"I want to thank Jerry, Michael, Arturas and Marc for the opportunity to coach the Chicago Bulls," Donovan said.
"I also want to thank them for the time and effort they put into this hiring process. I'm excited to partner with Arturas [Karnisovas] as we work together on behalf of this historic franchise."
Donovan led the Thunder to the playoffs in each of his campaigns at the helm, but they bowed out in the first round for the fourth straight year in 2019-20.
After guiding the team to a 243-157 record, Donovan and the Thunder did not renew his contract.
The Bulls have not reached the playoffs since losing to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference first round in 2016-17.
"We are very pleased to welcome Billy and his family to the Chicago Bulls. The success that he has sustained over the course of his coaching career puts him on a different level," said Bulls executive vice-president – basketball operations Karnisovas.
"We feel his ability to help his players reach their potential, both individually and collectively, will mesh well with our roster. Whether as a player or as a coach, he has won everywhere his career has taken him, and we hope that will continue here in Chicago."
Donovan signed a four-year deal when he took charge of the Bulls in September 2020, and led the team to the playoffs for the first time since 2017 last season.
The Bulls posted a 46-36 record in 2021-22, making it their first winning season since 2015-16, while they have won three of their last four games to improve to 9-11 following an inconsistent start to the new campaign.
Donovan's original contact with the six-time NBA champions was set to expire in 2024, but reports suggest the 57-year-old's new deal will run for several more seasons.
The Bulls led the Eastern Conference for much of last campaign and made the postseason despite guard Lonzo Ball suffering a serious knee injury – which has kept him out since January.
Donovan coached the Oklahoma City Thunder for five years before making the move to Chicago, leading the team to the Western Conference playoffs in each of his five seasons at the helm.
The five-time All-Star scored a game-high 38 points in Wednesday's 125-118 victory at United Center as the Bulls won for a fifth game running to go 38-21 for the season.
In doing so, DeRozan became the first player to score 35 points or more and shoot 50 per cent or better in seven straight games.
That is a record previously held by legendary figure Chamberlain, who achieved the feat on separate occasions in 1960-61 and in 1962-63.
After writing his name in the NBA record books, DeRozan struggled to sum up his feelings.
"I can't. I'll be honest with you, I can't. I can't describe it," he said. "It's one of those things where I'm completely locked in as soon as I come to work."
DeRozan's run of at least 30 points in eight straight games is also the longest streak by a Bulls player since Michael Jordan in 1996.
"As a kid, as a fan of the history of the game, being in the league as long as I've been in this league – things like that continue to make me even more humble," he said.
"Being an NBA player and being able to have the privilege to be able to play this long and have these opportunities, it's something I never take for granted.
"And the crazy thing is I felt like I missed eight easy shots [against Sacramento] I normally would have made."
DeRozan is level with the Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid for the longest streak of 30 or more points by a player this season.
He leads the Bulls this season with 1,547 points at an average of 28.1 through 55 games, which is the fourth-best tally of any player in NBA behind LeBron James (29.1), Embiid (29.3) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (29.4).
The Bulls are now guaranteed at least a share of first place in the Eastern Conference heading into the All-Star break, with the Miami Heat able to draw level when they face the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday.
While DeRozan has played a vital role in what has been an impressive campaign to date, head coach Billy Donovan has been pleased with the input from every player.
"I'm just really appreciative of this group of guys from top to bottom," Donovan said.
"The way they come to work every day, how professional they are, how they try to keep themselves ready, how it's all about the team, all about winning and what each individual can do to impact and help in winning."
Harden managed a double-double of 25 points and a season-high 16 assists, while Durant scored a game-high 27 points to lead the Nets to a comfortable victory at United Center.
Kyrie Irving, who can only play on the road due to COVID-19 vaccine laws in New York, added nine points in his third game back for the Nets.
Speaking after the victory, which took the Nets to a 26-14 record for the season, Harden was asked about his on-court relationship with Durant and Irving.
"We're that good," Harden emphasised. "We have a chance to be that good. We just haven't had enough of it. Last year I think we had 15 games maybe together, and this year only two.
"It felt good tonight on both ends of the ball, to be locked in on the same page and, offensively, sharing the basketball and making each other better."
Durant also faced the media after another stellar showing, having now scored at least 25 points in 12 straight games, and the 11-time NBA All-Star made clear that he is not concerned with what people on the outside think of his team.
"We're trying to make no statements to the league," Durant said. "I mean, who cares what they think? We know what we bring to the table, and it's all about us. But I'm sure people were watching the game tonight."
Meanwhile, the Bulls became the first team in NBA history to win by 45+ points one day and then lose by 25+ the next, having beaten the Detroit Pistons 133-87 on Tuesday.
Coach Billy Donovan praised his team for a run that has seen them reach a 27-12 record so far, acknowledging that they were second best on the day, particularly in the third quarter when the Nets scored more than twice the number of points managed by the Bulls (39-19).
"I think you own it," Donovan said. "I think our guys have worked hard up to this point to be where we are in the standings, and with that there's a greater responsibility."
LaVine starred with 41 points including 11 three-pointers in Friday's 126-112 win over the Philadelphia 76ers, following that up with 36 on 12-of-21 shooting against the Jazz.
That marks the best form that the 27-year-old has achieved this season after undergoing arthroscopic left knee surgery in the offseason.
"First couple of back to backs, I played and didn't feel great," LaVine told reporters.
"[Now] I feel great. Legs feel healthy. Felt springy at the beginning of the game. It's good to feel like me again."
On Friday, LaVine hit 11 of his 13 three-point attempts (84.6 per cent), joining Stephen Curry as the only players in NBA history to hit at least 11 three-pointers in a game at over 80 per cent efficiency.
LaVine shot another six-of-12 from beyond the arc against the Jazz, including three in a row to push the Bulls' lead to eight.
Bulls head coach Billy Donovan encouraged LaVine to take on more three-point attempts.
"For us to generate more threes, he can be a big part of that," Donovan said.
"Then he's got to find a balance between shooting those threes and obviously getting downhill and either getting to the basket or passing and creating offense for others."
Chicago's win over the Jazz made it three in a row, along with eight victories from their past 11 games, during which they have the fourth best offensive rating in the NBA.
"It always helps when your best players are playing well and you're focused on the other end," LaVine said.
"We're playing well. We're making big plays. I'm not saying we're playing perfect, but we're competing.
"We're coming to each game with a certain type of energy and confidence and we need to keep taking it game by game. We're not trying to look ahead and get ahead of ourselves."
The two-time All-Star had a lousy game against the Orlando Magic on Friday, tallying just four points, but he was back on it as the Bulls snatched a 121-107 victory over Boston.
Zach Lavine was five-of-10 on three-pointers for his 22 points, but it was his all-round effort that most impressed Bulls coach Billy Donovan.
The Celtic were on a nine-game roll, but they were no match for the Bulls on Monday.
LaVine said: "We've lost a lot in a row and they've won a lot in a row. I think we're a really good team, but we go through little lapses or times where we play bad. That's how fast the game can change."
He said of his sorry showing against Orlando: "Everybody has a career-worst night. I guess that was my night."
Coach Donovan commended the 27-year-old for putting the misfiring Magic game to the back of his mind, and refocusing.
Donovan said of LaVine: "I thought he played a great game tonight. I've got an enormous amount of confidence in his offense, in his ability to shoot the ball. He's done that his entire career, he's a lead at it.
"That will come back as he continues to play, and we're doing something differently offensively that he's having to work through, get accustomed to.
"There's a lot of things he can do to impact a game. Even though I think he missed his first three shots, it's probably not going to show up on the stats sheets but he generated a lot of open shots for our guys.
"He didn't shoot the ball at the percentage rate that he normally does, but I'm not worried about it.
"I thought his fingerprints were all over the game in a lot of different ways. He still got 22 points, but he did it defensively, he did it with his passing, he tried to get in there and rebound, he made good decisions.
"I thought he did a lot of extremely positive things."
DeMar DeRozan led the Bulls with 28 points on 11-of-24 shooting, hitting all three of his long-range attempts.
LaVine, who has not played since mid-January due to an ankle sprain, elected for surgery and will have been out for between four and six months by the time he returns to the court.
The Bulls man joined his teammates in Los Angeles before Saturday's 112-102 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, who overturned a 14-point deficit for victory.
Speaking on his personal decision for surgery, LaVine insisted the operation was the best way to progress in his rehabilitation.
"You never want to have surgery," he said. "But I got to a conclusion, especially with what the doctor was telling me, your pain level, this thing isn't going to heal on its own."
Having met up with his Bulls teammates before the Clippers defeat, LaVine sees no issue with settling back into the Chicago group.
"Same way it always has been," he said about the idea of fitting back in with the team. "It's not hard to fit back in, especially with the way I play the game and want to go out there and help."
Lonzo Ball, who has not played since January 2022 because of knee injuries, is also having rehabilitation treatment in Los Angeles.
Chicago coach Billy Donovan suggested Ball is recovering well, saying: "There's a lot of time for where he's at right now to get himself back hopefully where he gets cleared to play 5-on-5 and contact.
"That's going to be the biggest thing. Whenever he gets to that place."
The Bulls dropped to 31-33 for the season after losing in Los Angeles but LaVine expects Chicago to bounce back.
"I talk to these guys pretty much every day, every game," he added. "It's been great, they've been winning a lot of games, a lot of games that come down to the wire."
DeMar DeRozan top scored with 41 as the Bulls fought back in the second half after trailing by 14 at half-time, but the hosts ended up throwing away a four-point advantage with 20 seconds left.
Two-time All-Star LaVine had a night to forget, scoring four points from over 25 minutes on the court as he made just one from 14 field goal attempts, leading to him being left out in the last few minutes by coach Billy Donovan.
"I got to do a better job at the beginning of the game to make my shots, but you play a guy like me down the stretch," LaVine after the game. "That's what I do.
"Do I like the decision? No. Do I have to live with it? Yeah. Be ready to put my shoes on and play the next game.
"Just ask [Donovan] what his decision was, what made him think that way.
"Obviously, he wanted to go with some other guys out there, I wasn't having the best night shooting, but it's a tough one."
Donovan also cut a frustrated figure after the home defeat, and insisted it was a specific call for the situation in-game.
"I feel like my job, my responsibility in those moments is to try to make the best decisions for the team," Donovan said. "And I thought that was the best decision at the time.
"To me, I don't look at it as anything else but the one-off game where this is what was going on. I know he wanted to be out there.
"There's probably not very many games in his career where [LaVine] hasn't been out there in those moments, but that group was playing well and it gave us a chance."
The hosts ran rampant across a record-breaking first half, posting their highest points haul in franchise history with 82 at United Center.
DeMar DeRozan led the individual efforts with a 28-point haul, but it was a concentrated team performance as the Bulls backed up their prior win over the Washington Wizards.
The Mavericks were stung without Doncic, who was ruled out ahead of the match with a quad strain, and Donovan acknowledged his side's opponents had enjoyed less-than-ideal preparations for their matchup.
"Clearly, they had a tough game against Milwaukee and then a tough turnaround, and [with] some integral players out," he stated.
"But for us, I thought we generated good shots, found the open man, spaced the floor well. I think there's always things you can take from these games."
In addition to Doncic, the Mavericks were missing Maxi Kleber and Josh Green, with the pair also ruled out following Friday's one-point loss to the Bucks.
Meanwhile, the Bulls produced impressive displays across the board, with DeRozan one of seven players to post double-figure hauls.
"We scored 144 points, and it was spread around," Donovan added. "Zach [LaVine] and DeMar are unselfish players, and it gets other guys involved.
"It's not that we've got to lead the league in three-point shots, [it is] just that there are opportunities for us to take more threes that are good shots. I thought we did a good job taking the ones we should take tonight."
Without the likes of Lonzo Ball, Zach LaVine and Alex Caruso, the Bulls were beaten 119-106 by the in-form Memphis Grizzlies on Monday.
Despite losing to the Grizzlies, the Boston Celtics, the Golden State Warriors and the Brooklyn Nets in successive games, Chicago are top of the Eastern Conference.
The Nets are now 27-15 for the season and have allowed an average of 127 points across those past four defeats, following a run of 14 wins from their previous 17.
And after committing 18 turnovers in an error-strewn performance against the Grizzlies, Donovan accepts an improvement is required.
"For us right now, our margin for error is not great," he said. "Turnovers here, offensive rebound, a couple easy transition points – we're going to have to eliminate those things.
"We've got to be really meticulous and good at taking care of the ball, defensive rebounding and getting back."
DeMar DeRozan led the Bulls with 24 points on 10 of 24 shooting, on top of his five assists, while Coby White finished with 16 points, six rebounds and five assists.
While the shorthanded Bulls are going through a rough patch, White believes there could be long-term gains for his side.
"I feel like this is a chance for us to grow," he said. "We're getting the opportunity now.
"I feel like we're just taking it day-by-day and trying to just grow and develop and get better for the team."
The Grizzlies have won 12 of their last 13 games and are third in the West ahead of a four-game road trip that begins against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday.
"I thought our guys came out ready," Memphis interim coach Darko Rajakovic said.
"I thought we did a really good job defensively. To be honest with you, I thought we were supposed to score even more.
"We missed a couple of chippies, a couple of open looks that we usually make."
Donovan led the Thunder to the playoffs in each of his campaigns at the helm, but they bowed out in the first round for the fourth straight year in 2019-20.
After leading the team to a 243-157 record, Donovan and the Thunder did not renew his contract, it was confirmed on Tuesday.
"I have great respect for Billy and will always appreciate our work together. He is a terrific basketball coach and we are proud of what he has accomplished with the Thunder," the team's executive vice-president and general manager Sam Presti said.
"We had planned to sit down at the end of the season and discuss the best way to move forward for both of us. After those discussions, it became apparent that we couldn't provide him the information on the future direction of the team over the next several seasons to give him the level of clarity that he understandably desires at this stage of his career.
"Therefore, we close this chapter and reflect fondly on all that he has given to the team, organisation and community. Billy will always have a place in the Thunder family."
Donovan, whose team were beaten 4-3 by the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference first round this season, thanked the Thunder.
"Coaching the Oklahoma City Thunder the past five seasons has been a great honour, and I thank Mr. [Clayton] Bennett [Thunder owner], Sam and the entire organisation for the opportunity," he said.
"I have a great respect and admiration for the players I coached in Oklahoma, and I also want to thank the coaches I worked with, who gave unbelievable time and expertise to our common goal.
"Lastly, I want to thank the Oklahoma City community for being so welcoming to my family during our time here. This place will always be special to us. I will always hold this organisation in the highest regard and wish the Thunder and their fans the success they deserve."
