Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan just can't seem to catch a break.
An on-and-off night for the 14-year NBA veteran forward almost ended in what he said should have been a foul on New Orleans Pelicans (6-5) forward Zion Williamson in a postgame press conference. DeRozan pulled up for a potential game-tying floater from five feet out with 25.8 seconds remaining, a shot Zion Williamson contested before being fouled himself just seconds later.
DeMar DeRozan had the chance to provide the Bulls (6-7) with yet another opportunity to either send them to overtime or push them one game over .500, but the former Toronto Raptor fumbled an inbound pass from guard Goran Dragic, allowing the Pelicans to seal the game via free throws.
“That was on me,” DeRozan said. “I'll take that. It was nobody else’s fault. I should have caught it.
“It sucks. It’s frustrating just not giving ourselves an opportunity to see what could’ve happened. It was a couple key mental mistakes on my part.”
DeRozan still finished the night with a team-high 33 points while shooting 14-26 from the field, his fifth game of 30 points or more and his sixth game of 10 or more made shots. He recently dropped 46 points in a 4-point loss to the Boston Celtics.
Five of Chicago's seven losses this season have been by five points or fewer, including a 2-point loss to the Washington Wizards early in the season that included a missed DeMar DeRozan game-winning 3-point attempt.
DeRozan tied Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green and Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant for the most technical fouls this season with four, according to NBC Sports Chicago Bulls Insider KC Johnson. Grizzlies guard Dillon Brooks has one less than the trio in nine games played, most recently earning a technical against the Utah Jazz on Halloween.
Chicago will move on to face a surging Denver Nuggets team at 7 p.m. CST this Sunday in the United Center. The game will be broadcasted on NBC Sports Chicago.
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