DeMar DeRozan shifted into another gear.
On Tuesday night, the Chicago Bulls lost at home as double digit favorites to the Detroit Pistons, the worst team in the NBA. Then on Wednesday night, the number two team in the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers, came to town, and the Bulls won the game as 5.5-point underdogs. The game had a crazy finish as it went to double OT, and Chicago came out on top.
A lot of players stepped up for the Bulls on Wednesday, but DeMar DeRozan was especially impressive after regulation ended. He hit three huge free throws to send the game into double overtime, and then he took over, dropping 11 points in the second OT period. DeRozan shifted to a different gear when the game mattered most.
“He has a great ability to shift mentally to go to a different level and different level of concentration and really slow things down,” Bulls head coach Billy Donovan said to the media after the game. “He moved to the next thing pretty well. The three late in the shot clock early in the second overtime, that gave us a five-point lead, and I thought there were some opportunities in the first overtime where he went downhill and there was maybe some contact on a couple jump shots. He has a great ability to focus and stay incredibly calm. He has incredible poise in those situations.”
After losing to the Pistons, the Bulls walked to their locker room with their heads down and the home fans booing. Just 24 hours later, the Chicago crowd was loud as they watched their team beat one of the best teams in the league in thrilling fashion. That was a massive bounce back win for the Bulls.
About the Author
Scotty White is a graduate of the University of Michigan and has been in the sports journalism industry since 2020. He has covered athletics at the University of Michigan and the University of Southern California and is now serving as an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints.
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