The Bulls beat the Hawks 112-108 at home today.
DeRozan played 37 minutes today and had 37 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists on 15-of-21 shooting. In the final moments of the game, DeRozan scored five consecutive points to help the Bulls reverse the score and win.
In the regular season this season, in the fourth quarter or the last minute of overtime, when the point difference was within 5 points, DeRozan was very, very good, shooting a total of 10 of 18 and 22 of 25 free throws.
Counting today's game, DeRozan has scored 35 points in the eighth consecutive game, becoming the seventh player in league history to achieve this achievement, after only Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, Jordan, Bryant, James and Harden have done so. In the last eight games, DeRozan has averaged 38.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game, leading the Bulls to six straight wins.
In the history of the Bulls, only Jordan has won a 35+ longer than DeRozan, and from November 26 to December 12, 1986, Jordan has won 35+ in 10 consecutive games, which is also a record in the history of the Bulls. In addition, Jordan scored 35+ in seven consecutive games from February 19 to March 3, 1989. DeRozan is currently in second place in team history and is expected to challenge Jordan's team record.
Not only that, DeRozan has shot 50% of the past 8 games, which is what none of the above 6 super scorers have done, and DeRozan has become the first player in history to shoot 35+ with more than 50% shooting in eight consecutive games.
In the past eight games, DeRozan has scored 37 points against the Eagles, shooting 71 percent; against the Kings, 38 points, shooting 59 percent; 40 points against the Spurs, shooting 67 percent; 38 points against the Thunder, 50 percent; 35 points against the Timberwolves, 64 percent from the field; 36 points against the Hornets, 68 percent from the field; 38 points against the Suns, 59 percent from the field; and 45 points against the 76ers, shooting 60 percent from the field.
Since entering February, DeRozan has averaged 35.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game, shooting 58.4 percent from the field, the second player to average 35 points per game and shoot 55 percent in a single month since the league introduced the three-point line in 1980, the last being Jordan.
After scoring 35+ in eight consecutive games, DeRozan has also scored at least 35 points in a single game 16 times in the regular season this season, ranking first in the league. DeRozan is also currently averaging 28.4 points per game, ranking fourth on the scoring list and potentially impacting the top scorer.
This season, DeRozan, who has always been bad at three-point shooting, is also very good outside the three-point line, shooting 36 of 102 from the field, shooting 35.3% from three-point range, setting a career single-season high. DeRozan has had two consecutive three-point shootouts before, which no one has ever done before.
DeRozan's three-point performance over the past three seasons has been average, shooting 15.6 percent from three-point range in the 18-19 season, 7-of-45 from the field; 25.7 percent from three-point range from 25.7 percent from 19-20, and 25.7 percent from three-point range in the 20-21 season, for a total of 19 of 74 shots. DeRozan's career three-point shooting rate is only 28.6%, so a comparison shows how good DeRozan has been this season.