Through one game, DeMar DeRozan’s second half of the 2021-22 NBA season looks exactly like the first half of the season.
DeRozan scored 37 points – 15-of-21 from the field — to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 112-108 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday night at the United Center. And “The King of the Fourth” did his thing down the stretch.
Chicago trailed 108-105 when DeRozan nailed a jumper to make it a one-point game with 46.9 seconds left. After the Bulls got a stop, the NBA MVP candidate drained a go-ahead jumper while being fouled, and proceeded to make the free throw to give the Bulls a 110-108 lead. That would serve as the game-winner.
https://twitter.com/NBCSBulls/status/1497050416089116709
DEMAR’S TIME!! 😤@DeMar_DeRozan | #BullsNation pic.twitter.com/ZsXsLgfyw1
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) February 25, 2022
By scoring 37 points and shooting 71 percent from the field, DeRozan extended his NBA record streak of games with at least 35 points and at least a 50 percent field goal percentage to eight games. This has been an absurd stretch from DeRozan:
DeMar DeRozan over the last 8 Games:
45 PTS, 9 REB, 7 AST, 60% FG
38 PTS, 5 REB, 4 AST, 59% FG
36 PTS, 5 REB, 4 AST, 68% FG
35 PTS, 6 REB, 6 AST, 63% FG
38 PTS, 6 REB, 5 AST, 50% FG
40 PTS, 3 REB, 7 AST, 67% FG
38 PTS, 6 REB, 6 AST, 59% FG
37 PTS, 6 REB, 3 AST, 71% FG pic.twitter.com/AHS96hcDgq— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) February 25, 2022
Additionally, DeRozan becomes the seventh player in NBA history with eight straight games with at least 35 points, and he’s just two games shy of Michael Jordan for the Bulls’ franchise record.
DeMar DeRozan is the 7th player in NBA history with 8 straight 35-point games. He joins…
Wilt Chamberlain
Elgin Baylor
Michael Jordan
Kobe Bryant
LeBron James
James Harden pic.twitter.com/o1XcZqb4bj— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 25, 2022
This is DeMar DeRozan’s 8th straight 35-point game, two shy of Michael Jordan’s franchise record.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) February 25, 2022
And he’s likely to join Jordan as the only NBA players in the three-point era to average 35-plus points while shooting at least 55 percent from the field in a month.
DeMar DeRozan in February:
35.9 PPG
6.1 RPG
5.5 APG
58.4 FG%He’s set to join Michael Jordan as the only players to average 35+ points on 55% shooting in a month since the three-point era (1980). pic.twitter.com/HwoVj3zR24
— StatMuse (@statmuse) February 25, 2022
Oh, and the victory extended the Bulls’ winning streak to six games. They currently have the top record in the Eastern Conference at 39-21.
The basketball world had a lot to say on DeRozan’s latest unbelievable performance. Here’s a look at some of the tweets:
Deebo is a baddddddd man!! @DeMar_DeRozan
— Chris Paul (@CP3) February 25, 2022
proud of ma dawg @DeMar_DeRozan
— James Harden (@JHarden13) February 25, 2022
Sheesh Demar!!
— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) February 25, 2022
Billy Donovan on DeMar DeRozan: "He's spectacular."
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) February 25, 2022
These Hawks assistant coaches look so dejected seeing DeRozan do his fourth quarter thing. pic.twitter.com/65r8C76PWd
— Steph Noh (@StephNoh) February 25, 2022
DeMar DeRozan has tied Ja Morant with 16 20-point halves this season. pic.twitter.com/qrf801lDBy
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 25, 2022
The playoffs becoming a slower, more isolation-heavy game sure seems like it's going to fit this version of DeRozan extremely well.
— Ricky O'Donnell (@SBN_Ricky) February 25, 2022
I could make the argument that DeRozan has single-handedly willed this team to at least 10 games (and that's being conservative).
10 of these Ws become Ls without DDR, and if so, the Bulls are below .500 and in the play-in race.
He's been that important to this team.
— Mark K (@mkhoops) February 25, 2022
DeRozan’s scoring run is starting to give me 1984 Bernard flashbacks. Especially that mid-range turnaround that it feels like he can get whenever he wants.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) February 25, 2022
