DeMar DeRozan is still everything for the Chicago Bulls

An historic shooting night propelled the Brooklyn Nets ahead of the Chicago Bulls 125-108. By shooting 25-of-44 on threes (56.8 percent) from beyond the arc, the Nets tied the franchise record for most threes made in a game against the Bulls in franchise history.

The team they tied? The Brooklyn Nets on November 26, 2023. Lightning strikes twice.

That’s right, in back-to-back games against the Nets, the Bulls have given up a total of 50 made threes.

To their credit, the Bulls kept the game closer than the final score might suggest for the majority of the game. Shooting 64.4 percent on two-point field goals, going 23-of-29 at the free-throw line helped raise the floor, but being outscored by 48 points from beyond the arc is nearly impossible to overcome. Especially when losing the offensive rebounding battle 12-5 and the turnover battle 12-6.

— Again, Javonte Green made an impact in his minutes. He was +2 on the night with seven points but immediately impacted the game with a steal and runout dunk.

Green’s 10-day hardship exception contract is set to expire on April 2, but with news prior to the game that Julian Phillips is still in his walking boot, a second 10-day contract could be heading his way.

This would signal that Phillips will be out at least another two weeks, which is the rest of the season for all intents and purposes.

Green would not be eligible for the Bulls postseason roster as he signed after March 1, which is the NBA’s deadline for Playoff rosters.

— Alex Caruso left the game in the first quarter after appearing to injure his left ankle. He came back into the game and bit his tongue bloody while contesting a shot in the fourth quarter. In spite of his collection of bumps and bruises, he is on pace to be eligible for another All-NBA Defensive team despite the new league rules.

In order to qualify for postseason awards like All-Defensive Teams, a player needs to appear for at least 20 minutes in 65 games. However, the NBA allows grace for a player that played between 15-20 minutes in two of those games.

Caruso has now played in 65 total games, but only 60 count towards the final tally because of minutes played.

The rest of the way, Caruso needs to play at least 20 minutes in five of the final eight games in order to be eligible for an All-Defensive team.

— So much of what the Bulls do is driven entirely by DeMar DeRozan. Scoring 31 points on 20 shots and 10 free throw attempts and boasting a mammoth 34.6 percent usage rate only tells part of the story.

His two assists resulted in five points, but he was initiating the offense and creating secondary assists, open shots, and potential assists all night. One of his misses resulted in an offensive rebound kick-out pass for a three. He made two passes directly leading to free throws.

In the minutes DeRozan was on the bench, the Bulls had a -56.1 net rating, a 104.8 offensive rating, and were outscored 37-22. Despite playing 37 minutes, he was only -2 in a game the team lost by 17 points.

The team had 15 transition points and 14 second chance points, meaning a total of 79 points on half-court offense. Including his points off assists and passes leading directly to free throws, DeRozan was responsible for 38 of those half-court points or 48 percent.

This is not meant to disparage anyone else on the roster. But DeRozan is everything for this Bulls team. The bottom would fall out without him.

Up next: Bulls are in Minnesota for a rematch with the Timberwolves

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