Chicago Bulls studs from bounce-back win over the Clippers: DeMar DeRozan
LaVine was definitely a big factor in the Bulls closing out this big win over the Clippers to move the team’s record to a solid 9-4 on the season so far. But he didn’t play as big of a role in the Bulls finding success on the offensive end of the floor in this win over the Clippers as the four-time All-Star shooting guard/forward DeMar DeRozan.
DeRozan didn’t have a great game in the second half in the convincing loss to the Warriors at the outset of the weekend. Yet, DeRozan’s response in this win over the Clippers was a microcosm of how the Bulls looked game-over-game since tip-off against the Warriors.
In this game, DeRozan registered a game-high 35 points, seven rebounds, five assists, no steals, no blocks, and just two turnovers. And he shot an efficient 12-of-16 from the field, 1-of-1 from beyond the arc, and a sparkling 10-of-11 from the free-throw line.
DeRozan helped to counter star forward Paul George, who started to get to the charity stripe to try and keep the Clippers competitive in this game. And he likely could’ve come closer to getting a double-double in this game had the Bulls’ hit more open shots late in the third and early in the fourth quarter when he was getting double-teamed.
In the last two outings for DeRozan, he had two of the three worst game scores of the regular season thus far. But he came out with one of his most efficient games yet in a Bulls uniform to claim this victory over the Clippers before they take on the Lakers in the back-end of back-to-back games on Nov. 15. In his return to LA in the first of two games this week, DeRozan was huge for the Bulls.