LaVine scores 36, but can’t muster a clutch finish in DeRozan’s return
DeMar DeRozan said his three years in Chicago felt like 10.
He was an all-star in two of those three seasons with the Bulls, and returned to the United Center with the Sacramento Kings on Sunday afternoon for the requisite tribute video. DeRozan scored 21 points to help lead the Kings to a 124-119 victory.
“I'm always humbled by any type of appreciation for my time anywhere. That meant a lot,” he said after the game. “I enjoyed my time here. It was fun going out there and talking trash to all the guys I played with last year, see the fans and everything. So it was definitely cool.”
There were a few different related angles to DeRozan's return. For one, Zach LaVine is currently going through the best stretch of his NBA career. He recorded his sixth-straight 30-point game Sunday, finishing with 36. Before this season, LaVine's best 30-point streak was four in a row, accomplished three different times.
While DeRozan had one of the best clutch seasons in NBA history in 2021-22, LaVine was usually part of the audience in late-game situations. DeRozan is the king of midrange isolation, and earned the right to take over in crunch time.
LaVine set out to produce his own version of a DeRozan tribute in the final minutes. He had an efficient shooting game, hitting 12 of 24 shots overall, and 5 of 8 3-pointers. When Patrick Williams got a finger on DeRozan's long jumper, leading to a LaVine step-back 18-footer, the Bulls were within 120-119 with 2:29 left. The Bulls got some defensive stops, but LaVine missed his final four shots of the game, taking it to the hoop each time. Close, but no victory cigar.
“I hope he makes all-star, I hope he gets credited for the (season) he's been having,” DeRozan said of LaVine. “It's not easy. That dude works extremely hard. I remember those times when he was dealing with his knee, how frustrated he was. To see him healthy and doing what we all know he's capable of doing, it's gratifying to see.”
The other angle was the Lonzo Ball comeback story. Since Coby White was out with a neck strain and Ayo Dosunmu is still coming back from a hamstring injury, Ball joined the starting lineup for the first time in three years. Ball scored a season-high 15 points and knocked down 5 of 8 3-pointers in just under 26 minutes of action.
The Bulls had the best record in the Eastern Conference around the time Ball left the lineup with a knee injury. The feeling was the Bulls could win again when Ball returned. But it took three surgeries and more than two years of rehab before Ball finally took the court, and DeRozan had moved on as a free agent
“There were many times in the summer when I went over to Zo's house to chill with him, talk with him, try to keep his mind straight,” DeRozan said. “You've got to give that guy a lot of credit.”
Ball figures to return to the bench soon, but he's been a positive influence while on the court and is hoping his minute limit continues to climb.
“I want to say yes (to more minutes), but this is the first year back,” Ball said. “There's no real evidence of what we're supposed to be doing. We're in constant communication with the doctors still. There hasn't been any problems, thankfully, so hopefully that number can keep climbing. I think I can affect the game a lot in 20-25 minutes.”
Sunday's result came with a frustrating finish. The Bulls took possession trailing by 3 and coach Billy Donovan walked nearly out to the center circle to call a time out with 14.1 seconds left. When the Bulls returned to the court, Josh Giddey couldn't find anyone open and the Bulls were called for a five-second violation, which effectively ended their chances and extended Sacramento's win streak to eight.
“I just felt like we got pinned up against the sideline and I didn't love the way we were spaced at that point in time,” Donovan said. “I just figured it would be better to organize. So that's why I called time out.”