One of the most, the Bulls Star has Been a consistent NBA scorer of the last decade, he’s still drawing opposing defences at age 35 – and the latest victim is the Pacers. DeRozan scored a season-high 46 points in Chicago’s 132–129 win over Indiana on Wednesday, leading the game in the biggest moments.
Timely 3-pointer Myles Turner buried an assist from Tyrese Haliburton, cutting the Pacers’ lead to three points with less than a minute remaining, but DeRozan led the Bulls back with a perfect layup to keep it alive. The two teams exchanged blank possessions after Coby White’s potential game-winner was massively blocked by Pascal Siakam, and a clear Indiana victory was in sight.
Aaron Nesmith calmly blocked two free throws to put the Pacers ahead with three to five seconds remaining. Cue DeRozan’s heroics.
Clutch shot vs. Pacers DeMar DeRozan’s
DeRozan to prevent a game-tying 3-pointer Indiana intentionally fouled and missed two attempts. DeRozan executed the game plan Perfectly With the Bulls still trailing by two and needing a miss. Both teams struggled for the rebound and the ball fell out of Indiana’s bounds.
It prepared DeRozan to do what he does best. After a contest at the buzzer, he sank a midrange jumper to send the game into overtime.
He scored the first eight points of overtime for the Bulls as DeRozan’s hot hand did not cool down. He finished with nine points in OT alone, the most he has recorded on the season with 46 points. 15 out of 24 from he shot an impressive field and the free throw line 15 out of 17.
Hall of Famers on NBA all-time scoring list DeMar DeRozan passes
DeRozan’s 46-point night saw him skyrocket, surpassing three Hall of Famers on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
Ranked 35th, he reached 23,134 points on the list on Wednesday with career points. DeRozan moved up to No. 32, surpassing Elgin Baylor, Dwyane Wade and Adrian Dantley after his big games.
DeRozan is now 31st in pursuit of a sitting Stephen Curry. DeRozan’s favourite players can be found on the all-time scoring list. LeBron James leads the count with 40,096 points.
Surpassing Legends of the Game:-
The late, great Elgin Baylor finished his career with 23,149 points. Now, after the conclusion of Wednesday night’s game, DeRozan has surpassed it, the 34-year-old forward now has 23,180 points.
Deebo moved into 34th all-time, thanks to his offensive loss to Baylor on Wednesday. But in this game, he is now in 32nd place in all-time, leaving behind Dwayne Wade (23,165 points) and Adrian Dantley (23,177 points).
DeRozan now has the third most games in Bulls history with over 45 points, having had five. He trails his teammates, the great Michael Jordan (who has 73) and Zach LaVine (who has 6). It’s unlikely that DeRozan will ever surpass Jordan in that category based on that metric, but it’s still not bad company.