The Bulls had no answers for Paul George and Kawhi Leonard on Thursday, no matter what Bulls veteran DeMar DeRozan had up his sleeve.
Nam Y. Huh/AP
There was the 25-footer off the Jevon Carter pass.
Not even 40 seconds later, the vintage “Compton two-step” that took DeMar DeRozan from the comforts of his usual midrange all the way to the rim for the lay-in.
Another 40 seconds off the clock, and another three from the 34-year-old Bulls veteran. This time one he simply brought up the court and walked into himself.
Yep, it had to be the fourth quarter.
Like he’s done throughout his three-year Bulls stint – including a heroic 46-point showing in Wednesday’s win in Indiana – DeRozan (aka “The King of the Fourth) was at it again a night later, this time with the Bulls hosting the Clippers.
An all too familiar script for DeRozan and the Bulls, beginning with a slow start, an ugly third-quarter deficit – this time 20 – and then DeRozan painting his face for the final stand and going all “Braveheart.”
Considering the Bulls entered the night amongst the lead league in clutch games this season, and had posted a 23-15 record in those games, DeRozan was successful more times than not.
The visiting Clippers made sure it was a not.
DeRozan helped get the deficit to eight in that final quarter, but better team, better players, and just like that Los Angeles turned it up over the final nine minutes and ended up winning a laugher 126-111.
Life without an injured Coby White (right hip) didn’t help.
“Losing Coby is a big loss for us, not only for his scoring but his presence,” center Nikola Vucevic said after the loss. “The defense has to focus on him so much. His shot-making, his creating. He’s a big part of what we do, and on top of all the other guys we’re missing it’s tough.”
Not that the Clippers “Big Two” minded much, as Paul George finished with a game-high 28 on 6-of-7 shooting from three-point range, while teammate Kawhi Leonard had 27. Even with James Harden sitting the game out, Los Angeles answered every Bulls threat thanks to a 20-of-41 (48.8%) shooting night from three and just under 60% from the field.
“With his length and size, (George) is a hard guy to contest once he gets it going,” coach Billy Donovan said.
He would know. After all Donovan coached George back in his Oklahoma City days.
“We tried to obviously trap him and Kawhi,” Donovan continued. “We turned them over a couple of times but obviously not enough. Both of those two guys’ size, they have the ability to play over you.”
Still, even undermanned and undersized at times, Donovan remained impressed with how DeRozan continues to do all he can to try and will the Bulls (32-35) out of the No. 9 spot in the Eastern Conference.
“He gets very focused, he gets very quiet,” Donovan described of DeRozan in those final quarters and moments of games. “I don’t think he gets distracted by what’s going on. He thrives in the chaos and those crunch moments. He’s able to calm himself and read the defense. He knows what spots and how to get to spots himself. And then I think just his concentration and ability to block things out.
“The moment never overwhelms him. He’s really done that throughout his entire career. It’s an incredible gift that he’s had or been able to work at over a period of time. I think the great ones lean into those moments and he leans into having the ball and making the next best play.”
DeRozan will have to continue to do that with 15 games left and still so much at stake. The good news was the Bulls have the second-easiest remaining schedule.