A Historic Comeback, DeMar DeRozan Does it All, Grayson Allen Stinks, and Other Bulls Bullets

Dec 29, 2022

I will not rest until this photo is plastered on the outside of the United Center:

The finish. pic.twitter.com/miweRw3Omx
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) December 29, 2022

What. A. Freakin. Game. As much as this season has made me want to bash my head against the wall and eat a pinecone, last night’s comeback victory is not one that I’ll soon forget. Not only were the Bulls able to erase a 15-point deficit in the final frame, but their ability to overcome an 11-point deficit in just 2:30 is now a part of history! According to ESPN’s Stats & Info, teams were previously 5-12,535 in those situations over the past 20 seasons!

From @ESPNStatsInfo : Chicago becomes just the 6th team to win down 11+ points in the final 2:30 of the game in the last 20 seasons.

Teams had gone 5-12,535 in that situation before tonight— Jamal Collier (@JamalCollier) December 29, 2022

The fact this Bulls team – which entered the night with one of the worst clutch records in the NBA – is the one to join that prestigious club is just befuddling. I mean, seriously, how can this group lose to the Houston Rockets by double figures but pull off one of the most impressive comebacks in league history against arguably the best player in the NBA? This inconsistency is absurdly frustrating and leaves me endlessly confused about which direction this front office should go this year.

Don’t get me wrong, I fully acknowledge that something must change for the Bulls. But how much needs to change is the real question. Does it need to be a full-blown tank or can they build a better product around guys like Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan? I mean, after another dominant performance like last night, it becomes that much harder to think about the Bulls trading away DeRozan to help fuel another rebuild. He’s just so good!

Milwaukee in OT: 7 points

DeMar DeRozan in OT: 10 points

Clutch is his middle name. pic.twitter.com/ilgDbWwMFq
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) December 29, 2022

Speaking of which, DeRozan did it all. His clutch and physical shotmaking stole the show as he single-handedly outscored the Bucks in OT 10-7. But his effort on the defensive end shouldn’t be forgotten. Without Alex Caruso and Derrick Jones Jr. available, DeRozan flew around and made the kind of hustle plays that gave his team a real chance to win. Whether it be drawing a charge on Antetokounmpo, blocking Bobby Portis’ shot with under 2 minutes to go, or stealing the inbound pass to set up the game-tying Ayo Dosunmu dunk, DeRozan’s clutch genes impacted every aspect of last night’s game.

DeMar DeRozan put on an absolute clinic against Milwaukee.

42 pts | 15-25 FG | 10 reb | 5 ast pic.twitter.com/U7OkDaZMrX
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) December 29, 2022

What shouldn’t get lost in DeRozan’s greatness, however, is how crucial both Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic proved to be down the stretch. While both struggled to find a rhythm throughout the. night, they each showed up when it mattered most. LaVine scored 8 points in the 4th quarter behind two incredible shots from behind the arc. One was an off-balance 3-pointer from the corner with Jevon Carter right on his grill, while the other was a deep and decisive make off the Vucevic hand-off. I also think he deserves a ton of credit for moving that ball in the way he did. After getting trapped underneath the rim by two Bucks defenders, he had a great quick pass to a cutting DeRozan for the layup. He also fed Patrick Williams an awesome over-the-shoulder dime, which the youngster (unfortunately) failed to knock down from behind the arc.

Vucevic scored 8 points in the final frame and added one more big-time triple to his box score in OT. I give DeRozan a lot of credit for waiting for Antetokounmpo to slide off Vucevic and show the help, though, which led to the quick pass and in-rhythm 3 for the big man. Vucevic finished the night with 15 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 assists.

Do you know what made the win that much better? The fact that Grayson Allen lost! The Bucks’ jerkface pulled another seemingly dirty move last night by shoving DeRozan to the ground. While Patrick Williams did commit a foul on Allen, which sent him in the direction of DeRozan, there is little question that Allen forced his momentum into DeRozan’s back for the blindside hit. If you missed it, the clip is here.

DeRozan commented on the play after the game and said that it was Allen’s reputation that made him initially react in the way he did. And I don’t think anyone can blame him.

DeRozan on the Grayson Allen play: "It's his track record. If it was Boban, I wouldn’t have done nothing." pic.twitter.com/cNc0r19ogz— Bulls Talk (@NBCSBulls) December 29, 2022

LaVine went on to say something similar, calling out Allen and reminding him to look at the final scoreboard:

LaVine on the DeRozan-Allen skirmish: “We know his track record. Pat got the foul but DeMar got elbowed in the back of the head. DeMar responded the right way. The next 20 minutes, you saw what happened.”— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) December 29, 2022

Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago also went to speak with the man himself after the game. To no surprise, Allen didn’t believe he did anything wrong. While he tried to express an understanding of DeRozan’s own frustration, he simply said that Williams pushed him into the Bulls’ top scorer.

Spoke briefly with Grayson Allen after Bulls-Bucks about third quarter dust-up with DeMar DeRozan. Will thread his comments.

Asked his perspective on the play, he said: "(It was) exactly what the video showed. I went to set a screen and got bumped into DeMar."— Rob Schaefer (@rob_schaef) December 29, 2022

Old Clutch to Young Clutch for the tie! I had to listen to this on the radio, and Chuck Swirsky made one heck of a great call.

SO MUCH CLUTCH IN ONE VIDEO

(🎥 @NBCSBulls)
pic.twitter.com/z0QcE4hH46
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) December 29, 2022

I’m so glad this man isn’t in my conference.

ZION WILLIAMSON

WHAT pic.twitter.com/C5xDG6NuhM
— Mark Schindler (@MG_Schindler) December 29, 2022

Good question.

What Can We Learn From the Blackhawks’ Last Two Decades of General Managers?

Love a good guy!

Cole Kmet Wins the 2022 Jeff Dickerson Good Guy Awardhttps://t.co/jaH1hAmcyG pic.twitter.com/6FmLRdt2ee
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) December 29, 2022

written by

Elias Schuster

Elias Schuster is the Lead Chicago Bulls writer at Bleacher Nation. He started with BN full-time in 2019 immediately after graduating from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign with a degree in Journalism (yes, he started with the Jim Boylen Era). Since joining, Elias has been the driving force behind Bulls and NBA content for both the site and social accounts. You can follow him on Twitter/X @Schuster_Elias.

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