Fresh off the NBA All-Star break, Bulls guard DeMar DeRozan picked up where he left off, adding another notch to his résumé as one of the NBA’s best closers.
With the Bulls trailing 108–107 with 23.2 seconds to play in regulation, DeRozan converted a turnaround, fallaway jumper and was fouled by Hawks wing Bogdan Bogdanović in the act of shooting. With chants of “MVP” coming from the crowd inside the United Center, DeRozan added the free throw to complete the three-point play and give Chicago a 110–108 advantage.
Bogdanović missed on a three-pointer for Atlanta before Javonte Green added a pair of free throws for the Bulls to secure their sixth consecutive win and their seventh win in their last 10 games.
With the win, DeRozan became the seventh player in NBA history to secure eight consecutive 35-point games, joining Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, Michael Jordan Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and James Harden, according to ESPN Stats and Info.
The five-time All-Star recorded his ninth consecutive game with 30 points or more, the longest such streak by a Chicago player since Michael Jordan posted 10 straight from Dec. 25, 1990 to Jan. 14, 1991.
Chicago (39–21) sits atop the Eastern Conference standings and will return to action on Saturday against Memphis.
