McDermott leads Bulls to victory
See, the Bulls' monthlong slump was easily solved.
All it took was a career-high 30 points from Doug McDermott, a near triple-double by Pau Gasol and a vintage 2011-type performance by Derrick Rose. With those three things in their favor, the Bulls snapped a five-game losing streak by beating Toronto 116-106 on Friday at the United Center.
McDermott soared past his previous high of 18 points. Hit hit an impressive 13 of 17 shots overall, along with 4 of 5 attempts from 3-point range. McDermott even threw down a two-handed baseline dunk early in the fourth quarter.
“He just did a little bit of everything,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. “He looked like Doug McDermott from his Creighton days.”
McDermott wasn't the only efficient scorer, though. Rose hit 12 of 20 shots, including 3 clutch baskets down the stretch. Gasol finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists.
The Bulls finally got contributors beyond the main guys. Bobby Portis brought some energy. Backup center Cristiano Felicio joined the rotation for the first time and figures to stay there, based on this performance. The Brazil native produced 8 points and 3 rebounds in 14 minutes.
The Bulls (28-26) piled up 32 assists on the night, matching their season-high.
Oddly enough, McDermott had a terrible game on Thursday in Cleveland, air-balling his first 3-point attempt and going 1-for-6 overall.
“It was tough, probably my worst game so far,” McDermott said. “I really had to dig deep last night, especially because we lost. I got a good night's rest and was ready to go when I woke up.”
Hoiberg revealed before the game he had a chat with McDermott on Friday afternoon to try to provide a boost of confidence. The lecture didn't last long.
“Literally 30 seconds,” McDermott said. “He just sat me down and told me. He said, ‘I know what it's like to be in your position. I've been there before and I'm going to stick with you, I have confidence in you,' and it paid off.
“He has a really good way of getting his point across really fast, which a lot of us like. It was good.”
Hoiberg was a 3-point shooting specialist during his 10-year NBA career, but never had a 30-point game. Hoiberg's career-high was 28 points, playing for the Bulls at Milwaukee in 2001, according to basketball-reference.com.
“Doug came out with an aggressive mindset,” Hoiberg said. “He's such a good player, such a good shooter. I know his teammates trust him. … You could just tell. His release was quick. He was hunting shots. He made great cuts.”
The Bulls almost let this one get away. After building a 101-89 edge with 7:30 remaining, Toronto closed within 2 points on two occasions. With the lead precarious, Rose hit a nice post-up bank shot against Cory Joseph. Then after Kyle Lowry split a pair of free throws, McDermott drained a corner 3-pointer off a pass from Gasol to make it 110-104 with 2:42 left.
After a jumper by center Jonas Valanciunas brought Toronto within 110-106, Rose hit an 18-foot jumper and driving bank to put the game away.
The Bulls improved to 3-0 against Toronto this season. The Raptors (35-18) have been red-hot winning 14 of 16 games before this one. Lowry finished with 27 points, Valanciunas added 25 and DeMar DeRozan scored 22.
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