Every once in a while an NBA player has a performance so brilliant, it’s referred to as “Jordanesque.”
Cue DeMar DeRozan, who in Monday night’s 120-109 victory against the San Antonio Spurs continued a scoring streak that hasn’t been seen in Chicago since the days of Michael Jordan, putting him on par with the Bulls legend.
DeRozan’s 38-point night against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday marked the first time a Bulls player had five straight games of 35 or more since Jordan accomplished it back in 1996. And DeRozan made it six in a row Monday, scoring 19 of his 40 points in the fourth quarter and shooting 16 of 24 from the field and 8 of 8 from the line.
“It’s always weird just to be named in the conversations with one of the greatest of all time, someone I grew up watching and now playing for the same organization he played for,” DeRozan said Monday after a shootaround at the Advocate Center. “To have any kind of a record as him is something that I don’t ... go out there and say, ‘I’ve got to compete with Michael,’ or anything.
“Just to be in the conversation with him alone is an honor.”
Jordan, then 33, scored 44, 40, 36, 35 and 40 points in consecutive games from Nov. 23 to Dec. 3, 1996, at the end of a seven-game trip. The Bulls were 16-1 after the streak ended, and no one was all that surprised about Jordan’s output. He already had eight NBA scoring titles under his belt and twice had averaged 35 points or more in an entire season.
“I’ve never really questioned my scoring ability,” Jordan said after a 40-point effort against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Bradley Center, the final game of the streak. “I just think that early in the season, I’ve had some good opportunities. I’ve shot the ball particularly well. Hopefully, I can continue.”
Jordan averaged 39 points during the streak while playing 40.3 minutes per game and shooting 49.7% from the field. But the current streak by DeRozan, 32, has been just as impressive. He enters Monday’s game averaging 38.4 points in 38.6 minutes during his five-game streak while shooting 59.8%.
“Who says you can’t get sharper throughout time, throughout the season?” he said after Saturday’s game. “I never put limits on my thought process, my options, my imagination, my opportunities.”
Jordan wound up averaging 29.6 points that season to earn the ninth of his 10 career scoring titles. DeRozan enters Monday’s schedule third in the league in scoring with a career-best 27.7 points per game, perhaps the most consistent season of a stellar career. His highest finish in scoring was fifth in 2016-17 at 27.3 points per game for the Toronto Raptors.
But a scoring title isn’t at the top of DeRozan’s wish list. He’s in search of his first ring.
Jordan’s Bulls wound up going 69-13 in 1996-97 on the way to the fifth of their six NBA titles. How far DeRozan’s Bulls can go is anyone’s guess, but they’ve managed to hang on in the Eastern Conference race in spite of a slew of injuries, including Zach LaVine’s lingering left knee soreness that forced him to miss Saturday’s and Monday’s games.
LaVine is scheduled to see a knee specialist in Los Angeles but reportedly hopes to play for Team Durant in Sunday’s All-Star Game in Cleveland.
DeRozan and LaVine had a relaxing night Sunday watching the Super Bowl together, and DeRozan was happy with both the Los Angeles Rams’ win over the Cincinnati Bengals and a halftime show that included Kendrick Lamar, an old friend he grew up with in Compton, Calif.
The halftime set even included a nod to Tam’s Burgers No. 21, a popular eatery in DeRozan’s hometown.
“Man, it was amazing to see it,” DeRozan said. “It was definitely an inspiration. I grew up (on) Dr. Dre, Snoop (Dogg). Knowing Snoop, seeing Kendrick perform, it just makes you feel more proud.
“Even the buildings that was on there, those buildings are in Compton. Just to see that was amazing and definitely an inspiration. It just shows you how far you can come no matter where you come from.”
DeRozan — an All-Star starter for Team LeBron — won’t get a chance to relax this weekend, but the Bulls will get a seven-day break after playing the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday at the United Center.
It comes at a good time. The Bulls were only one game behind the Miami Heat entering Monday in a crowded East race with the top seven teams separated by only five games. And the eighth-place team, the Brooklyn Nets, is about to get Kevin Durant back from the injured list while adding newly acquired Ben Simmons to the lineup.
“You love it,” DeRozan said of the East race. “Everybody competing. That’s what you want to see and what you want to be a part of. As long as you’re in that mix, that means you’re in great company. Everybody is going out there and laying it on the line, and that’s what you want to see, the competition level being high.
“For me, I love it just being a fan of sports, a fan of basketball. It makes every night fun. No matter who you’re playing against, you know you need that victory.”
With LaVine, Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso out, the pressure will be squarely on DeRozan to continue carrying the scoring load for the Bulls. It’s already apparent he can “Be Like Mike” when the Bulls need him to, but without LaVine, teams are able to double DeRozan most of the time.
“It’s tough not playing with Zach,” he said. “It’s just something we have to weather. His health is the most important thing, him just figuring out what’s what for the long run.
“As bad as I know he wants to play now, he’s got to take care of himself first and foremost. We’re going to get to that point where we’re all healthy and we have everybody full strength, but the most important thing is we have to get everybody healthy.”
