Getty DeMar DeRozan #11 of the Chicago Bulls.
The Chicago Bulls outlasted the Indiana Pacers 132-129 on Wednesday, March 13, taking out the fifth-place squad and bolstering their ninth-place position in the standings.
But they had to overcome a double-digit deficit and a big game from Pacers center Myles Turner to do it. It helps that they roster DeMar DeRozan, who stepped up in typical fashion to help put the game away.
DeRozan scored 27 of his season-high 46 points in the second half, including the bucket to send the game into overtime and the free throw that forced a desperation three from Indy.
“It’s like a survival mode that kicks in; in a fun way,” DeRozan told reporters after the game. “You embrace those moments. For me, I just thrive off them moments. I’m not scared to fail, I’m not scared to try to make something happen. I want those moments more than anything. It always reminds me about my childhood, being a kid and doing the little fake countdown, jumping on the bed, fake shooting a shot.
THE KING OF THE FOURTH 👑
“As a competitor, those moments are always something I try to relish in.”
DeRozan and Co. still needed Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton to airball his three-point attempt while trying to draw a foul as time expired.
Still, this was a needed bounceback for the Bulls and DeRozan. He was unable to make a significant impact in their loss to the Dallas Mavericks on March 11, scoring 13 points on 4-for-9 shooting in just over 22 minutes of an eventual 35-point blowout defeat.
DeMar DeRozan, Bulls Get Key Win in Closing Stretch Regular Season
The Bulls win snapped a two-game skid, giving them four wins in their last six games after stumbling to 2-3 coming out of the All-Star break.
It also pushed them to 2.5 games ahead of the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference standings. The Hawks lost to the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday, too. The rest of the field in the Play-In Tournament race is 5-5 in their last 10 games.
The Bulls are 6-4.
.@KCJHoop talks with DeMar DeRozan after a spectacular 46-point performance that led the Bulls to an overtime win over the Pacers
They can still catch the Pacers or Miami Heat, who are currently riding a four-game skid, for seventh or eighth place in the standings.
That would at least buy them an additional Play-In Tournament game. The Heat and Bulls have the third-easiest remaining strength of schedule in the East entering play on March 14, per Tankathon.
The Hawks have the third-toughest remaining slate while the Pacers rank eighth.
All Eyes on Coby White’s Hip Injury
The good vibes from DeRozan’s heroics were only dampened by Coby White’s injury that saw him hobble to the Bulls’ locker room with assistance in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter.
Head Coach Billy Donovan would only confirm a hip injury for the breakout guard.
“It looks like his hip right now. I don’t have any more detail than that,” Donovan told reporters postgame. “I do know when we get back to Chicago, he’s gonna have to get examined. What that is, I’m not quite sure. Whether it’s x-rays, MRI. They’re gonna do some kind of [testing].
“It’s his hip, they [medical staff] believe. But they just don’t know the extent of it. I think that’s what they want to figure out; just what is actually going on.
NO!! Siakam block on Coby White. Siakam comes down on top of Coby White. Didn’t look good at all. Coby left to the locker room
“We’ll obviously keep our fingers crossed.”
Donovan did suggest he didn’t believe the injury was too serious. And White was in good spirits in the locker room. Still, the Bulls – and fans – await the final word on White with bated breath in an already trying season for the Bulls and injuries.