"I thank God we got DeMar DeRozan on our team" - Zach LaVine in awe of Chicago Bulls teammate after another buzzer-beating game-winner
DeMar DeRozan seems to be fitting in quite well with his new Chicago squad. After back-to-back buzzer beater victories at the hands of DeMar himself, Bulls All-Star Zach LaVine was full of praise for the former Raptors and Spurs man:
“I thank God we got DeMar DeRozan on our team.”
"I thank God we got DeMar DeRozan on our team."
@ZachLaVine on his teammate's second-straight #TissotBuzzerBeater. https://t.co/2Rdlfy9hjR
In the video, Zach LaVine revealed he was in awe of DeMar DeRozan after the guard's second straight game-winner at the buzzer:
“You know he’s had back-to-back game winners man, it’s just off the charts you know … He got open, took his time, like you like know nothing was going on and knocked it down. I just put my hands on my head like, ‘man what is wrong with you’. It was incredible.”
DeMar DeRozan makes NBA history
DeMar DeRozan hit the game-winning shot for the Bulls in their matchup Friday against the Indiana Pacers.
DEMAR DEROZAN FOR THE WIN!!
@NBCSChicago | @DeMar_DeRozan | #NBAAllStar https://t.co/VjJt8UUtP5
The last Chicago player to hit a buzzer-beater was Jimmy Butler during his 40-point night in 2016. Butler hit the game-winner in the Bulls' matchup against the Brooklyn Nets on December 28th, 2016.
The Chicago Bulls then traveled to Washington for what ended as another close, hard-fought game. And DeMar DeRozan turn up for his team with the game-winner yet again.
DEMAR DEROZAN FOR THE WIN AGAIN!!
@NBCSChicago | @DeMar_DeRozan | #NBAAllStar https://t.co/RzYwDV7QA4
The back-to-back game-winners put DeMar DeRozan in the NBA history books. After his second game-winner on Saturday night, he became the first player in league history to hit walk-off game-winners on back-to-back nights.
DeMar DeRozan is the first player to hit a game-winning buzzer beater in back-to-back games since the start of the play-by-play era (1997-98). @EliasSports https://t.co/CautX7IIEv
As Michael Jordan’s home, Chicago history is often hard to top. But this feat is something even the greatest himself cannot say he has ever done.
"It's been blasphemous around the Bulls to compare anyone to Michael Jordan... but MJ can't say he did what DeMar DeRozan did Saturday night."
📰 | @SamSmithHoops game recap:
Not only did DeMar DeRozan make history that night, but he sealed the seventh straight victory for the Bulls, bringing them to the top spot of their conference with 24 wins and 10 losses. The Chicago Bulls now stand first place in the Eastern Conference standings, one game ahead of the Nets and the Bucks.
DeMar DeRozan's NBA career
DeMar was selected ninth overall by the Toronto Raptors in the 2009 NBA draft where he would go onto spend nine seasons, with five playoff runs. He was then traded to the San Antonio Spurs in the summer of 2018.
DeRozan spent three seasons with San Antonio after being acquired by the them in 2018. During that time he averaged 21.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 6.2 assists in 34.3 minutes per game, becoming the first player in Spurs history to average at least 20.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists in a season.
DeMar DeRozan was then acquired by the Bulls August 11th 2021 via a sign-and-trade. The Spurs received Thaddeus Young, Al-Farouq Aminu, a future first-round pick, and Chicago’s 2022 and 2025 second-round picks, in exchange for DeMar.
DeMar DeRozan is close to the averaging his historic Spurs spread this season. In his first season with Chicago, DeMar is averaging 26.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game for this 2021-22 NBA season. This is DeRozan’s highest point-per-game average since his 2016-17 season for the Toronto Raptors, his only year higher than his average this season.
With all of the accolades he has already achieved this season, DeMar also currently leads the NBA in points-per-game in the fourth quarter, with 241 points through his 30 appearances. Needless to say DeMar DeRozan is having an incredible year, for which his teammates are very grateful.