Sunday night at the United Center, the Chicago Bulls defeated the Detroit Pistons 119-108 to get back on the winning track. The Bulls, who appeared rusty after the three-day break and fell behind by 11 points early on, earned their victory with hard work. But in the second, they settled into a groove, outscoring the Pistons 33-19 to take a 55-50 lead into halftime.
The Pistons were able to hold off Detroit in the fourth quarter thanks to clutch plays from Nikola Vucevic and DeMar DeRozan. Detroit dropped to 2-9 after losing their eighth straight game, while Chicago improved to 4-6.
Desire to succeed
The Bulls star, DeMar DeRozan, clarified that the team’s desire to win and compete stemmed from an innate drive, in response to criticism from many in the league for holding a players-only meeting following the season’s opening game.
“I don’t think many people get to see the guys’ passion,” DeRozan remarked. “Merely attempting to solve it. Many people view everything, including the team meetings, as chaotic from the outside. In this locker room, everyone wants to succeed.”
On Sunday, DeRozan took the lead after scoring 29 points on 11 of 19 shots. Deebo was a master at defense as well, recording four blocks despite his lackluster other offensive statistics.
Zach LaVine scored 19 points, while Nikola Vucevic scored 21 points and pulled down 12 rebounds. 16 points and seven assists were added by Coby White.
Reserves stepped up
Following a Jaden Ivey layup in the fourth quarter, the Pistons were within three, 94-91. With all of the Bulls’ difficulties in the clutch this season, it appeared as though Chicago would falter once more. But Patrick Williams split his charity buckets, and DeRozan made a midrange jumper to extend their lead to eight points, 99-91, after Andre Drummond scored a layup.
At 102-98, following two free throws from standout guard Cade Cunningham, the Pistons made their final threat. With four minutes remaining, however, Ayo Dosunmu scored a transition layup off a stunning Euro-step and LaVine swished a three-pointer to cut the Bulls’ lead to nine, 107-98.