1. 50 Against the Clippers
The Bulls’ month of March was anything but pretty. The team went under .500 and dove from third in the east to sixth, with the possibility of slipping into the play-in tournament.
Their matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers was a must-win game, and DeRozan completely understood the assignment amid the team’s struggles.
The Bulls started the game off slow, falling behind 15 points in the first half and then by 16 points in the third quarter. DeRozan kept them in the game, though, scoring at will when on the court. The fourth quarter of the game was the difference maker for Chicago. DeRozan scored 17 points in the fourth quarter and hit the free throws to force overtime.
Chicago trailed by three points with 7.2 seconds remaining when DeRozan got fouled by Clippers guard Terance Mann away from the play. This gave DeRozan one free throw. He was then fouled by Clippers’ star Paul George on a three point attempt. He made the first two to tie the game but missed the last one, so we got some free basketball.
As the game went into overtime, DeRozan took over. He scored 10 points in the extra period, including going perfect from the free throw line with six made attempts.
His effort led the Bulls to a 16-point second-half comeback over the Clippers and was his second career 50-point game (his first since Jan. 1, 2018).
DeRozan finished the season leading the NBA in fourth-quarter scoring and also eclipsed the 2,000-point mark for the second time in his career. Let’s see this on full display in the playoffs, please!