It’s official: The Chicago Bulls will enter 2022 sitting atop the Eastern Conference. The Bulls moved to 23-10 on Friday afternoon thanks to a 108-106 win over the Indiana Pacers. It was hardly a sure thing, though, as Chicago required some heroics from its biggest acquisition over the summer to take down their division rivals.
After Caris LeVert made a pair of free throws with less than a minute to go in regulation, DeRozan buried a pair of buckets to give Chicago a 108-106 win. The first was a two-point jumper to cut Indiana’s lead to one, and after a missed dunk attempt by LeVert, the Bulls raced the other way. DeRozan had it in his hands the entire time and decided he was going to try to win the game on his own.
It wasn’t easy — the Pacers hounded DeRozan and forced him into an awkward shot attempt. But somehow, despite shooting an off-balance jumper from a few feet behind the three-point line, DeRozan’s attempt was perfect, going straight through the cylinder and barely even touching the rim.
DEMAR DEROZAN FOR THE WIN
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— NBA TV (@NBATV) December 31, 2021
On the day, DeRozan led the Bulls with 28 points, six assists, three rebounds, and three steals. He only made one of his three attempts from behind the three-point line, but the one he made was pretty good.