He shot an incredible 75 percent from the field (15-20), and connected on three of his four 3 point attempts. After scoring 32 points against the Utah Jazz, DeRozan scored 30 in this second consecutive 30-point performance.
DeRozan shared his thoughts after the win about the type of example he wanted to set for his team to win.
DeRozan stated, “I’ve been in many games being down large on the road and seeing what’s possible, which is pulling out victories.” “All it takes are parts of the game that really buckle down and stick together. So for me, keeping calm and not getting upset and sharing any experience I can with you all will keep us together.”
The Celtics led 103-89 at the end of the third quarter. Jaylen Brown scored 28 points in his first three frames. DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Jaylen Brown combined for 23 points in the fourth quarter and took over the Boston lead.
Chicago took the lead with 5:15 left in the fourth quarter thanks to DeRozan’s 15-foot mid-range jumper. Boston had plenty of opportunities to win the game but the Bulls played a tremendous defense to keep them from coming back. They held the Celtics to 11 points in the final quarter.
The Bulls looked like a legitimate playoff contender, and this was without doubt the most impressive win of the season. DeRozan has a great fit with Chicago, despite all the concerns that were raised about his compatibility with Lonzo Ball and Zach LaVine in the preseason.
These “fit” concerns have not been an issue for the Bulls this season. Head coach Billy Donovan has created an offense that emphasizes all the offensive weapons on the roster. Rotations have helped too. DeRozan’s and LaVine have had their minutes staggered so DeRozan can get some time with the bench unit, so he can be an anchor on offense when most of the starters are off the bench.
Although it’s early in the season the Bulls appear to be a difficult draw. They have won wins over the Celtics and the Utah Jazz, which shows that they are capable of playing both on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Many thought that this team would struggle on defense, but the Bulls are currently ranked sixth in the NBA for their defense, which is in addition to their 11th-ranked offense. Although the season is still long, many teams in the league have had slow starts. However, the Bulls are winning hard games and this will be important when the playoff seeding begins.
