If ever there was a game that felt like it should count for double in the win column, the Chicago Bulls’ 135-130 overtime victory against the Clippers Thursday was it.
DeMar DeRozan scored a season-high 50 points and the Bulls erased a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit to secure back-to-back wins for just the second time in March.
With the victory, the Bulls (45-32) remain a half-game ahead of the Raptors for fourth place in the Eastern Conference. They’re also now 1.5 games out of fourth place after the Sixers’ 102-94 loss to the Pistons.
Not since the 2008-09 season had the Bulls swept their season series with the Clippers. (They defeated the Clippers in each single-game series in 2019-20 and 2011-12.)
Go ‘Head, Call It A Comeback
The Bulls trailed 92-82 entering the fourth quarter and 107-96 with 4:58 left in regulation. DeMar DeRozan, who scored 17 points in the period (go figure), threw down a reverse dunk to cut it to 116-115 with 9.3 seconds left.
An away-from-play foul whistled against Terance Mann, who was guarding DeRozan on the inbounds, awarded the Bulls both a free throw and the ball. DeRozan sank the shot from the charity stripe and was fouled while attempting a three on the ensuing possession by Paul George. DeRozan made good on two of the three freebies to send the game into overtime.
Nikola Vucevic’s driving hook shot gave Chicago its first lead, 120-118, since the 10:21 mark of the first quarter. And the Bulls, who’d shot just 44.4% from the field and 28.6% from deep through the first three quarters, made each of their next five shots to put the game away.
Patrick’s Promise
This was far and away Patrick Williams’ best performance since returning to the lineup March 21.
The second-year pro scored a season-high 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting from the field and 2-of-2 shooting from downtown. He added a season-high 12 rebounds (three offensive), two blocks, and a steal for good measure.
Williams, who didn’t attempt a shot in the 13 minutes he played in the opening half, started in place of Alex Caruso to begin the third quarter. He scored consecutive buckets — off a dunk and three-pointer — in the overtime period to help the Bulls stave off the Clippers, who played the entire overtime period without George (minutes restriction).
The highlight of his night, though, was his dunk over Isaiah Hartenstein, which sent the 21,519 fans in attendance at the United Center into a frenzy.
What’s On Tap Next?
The Chicago Bulls will try to string together three consecutive wins for the first time since Feb. 12 when they host the top-seeded Miami Heat Saturday. Tip-off is at 7:00 PM CDT and the game will air on NBC Sports Chicago.
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