DeMar DeRozan delivered for the Chicago Bulls when they needed him the most Wednesday night against the Indiana Pacers on the road. The veteran forward put the Bulls on his back and carried them to a 132-129 overtime win over the Pacers, who just had no answer for the 34-year-old Chicago star.
DeRozan especially shone when the pressure was at its highest in the Pacers game. He was the one who rescued the Bulls from a sure defeat by forcing overtime with a tough fadeaway jumper near the end of regulation. He was far from finished at that point, as he continued to torch the Pacers in extra time pouring in eight more points on 3/4 shooting from the floor in OT.
“I just thrive off the moments,” DeRozan told reporters following the game (h/t Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic).
“I’m not scared to fail. I’m not scared to try to make something happen. I want those moments more than anything,” DeRozan added.
Michael Jordan will always be the benchmark of clutch heroics in the city of Chicago, but DeRozan isn’t too shabby either when it comes to making baskets in the most intense moments of a ball game, just like he did in the Pacers game.
DeMar DeRozan Stepped Up Big Time For The Chicago Bulls
When it was all said and done on the floor versus the Pacers, DeRozan’s stat line reflected 46 points on 15/24 shooting from the floor. He added nine rebounds and three assists along with two steals and a block in 44 minutes. He did not have to do it alone all game long, as Alex Caruso and Ayo Dosunmo combined for 43 points and six 3-pointers.
However, there could be a heavier load on the shoulders of DeRozan going forward if Coby White needs to miss time after suffering an apparent hip injury in the fourth quarter against Indiana.
The 32-34 Chicago Bulls will be back on the floor again this Thursday at home versus the visiting Los Angeles Clippers.
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