WASHINGTON (AP) — DeMar DeRozan hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer
for the second straight game to give the Chicago Bulls a 120-119
win over the Washington Wizards on Saturday night.
Kyle Kuzma’s 3-pointer with 3.3 seconds to play gave Washington
a 119-117 lead, until DeRozan beat the Wizards in the same way he
beat Indiana on Friday night.
DeRozan finished with 28 points and Zach LaVine had 35 points to
help the Bulls to their seventh straight win, which is their
longest streak since Dec. 18-29, 2014.
According to BasketballReference.com, DeRozan became the first
player in NBA history to hit buzzer-beaters on consecutive
days.
“It’s amazing, especially doing it on the road,” DeRozan said.
“I don’t know if I’m dreaming or if it’s real right now.
“You work your butt off and you understand that if you’re in
those positions, try to capitalize on them the best way you can
because you’re going to have games where you miss some.”
The Wizards led nearly the whole game, outscoring Chicago 72-30
in points in the paint.
“He just made a heck of a play. He was defended pretty well,”
Washington coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. “It’s just tough. It’s tough
to lose a game like that.”
Kuzma scored 29 points and had 12 rebounds, while Bradley Beal
had 27 points and a career-high 16 assists in his first start at
point guard. Beal also passed the 14,000 point mark.
Midway through the second quarter, the Wizards were called for a
technical foul for too many players. Alize Johnson, one of five
players on 10-day contracts, was the sixth player on the court.
TIP-INS
Bulls: F Tyler Cook suffered a sprained left ankle early in the
second quarter and did not return. … F Javonte Green was out with a
right adductor strain. … Interim coach Chris Fleming said that he
hopes G Lonzo Ball and F Alonzo McKinnie, who were in health and
safety protocols, could return to action early next week. … Coach
Billy Donovan addressed the team over Zoom on Saturday and told
them how proud he was with Friday night’s win. Donovan could return
from health and safety protocols on Monday.
Wizards: Signed G Tremont Waters to a 10-day contract. … G Brad
Wanamaker, who started on Thursday, entered the health and safety
protocols. … Rotation players G Spencer Dinwiddie, F Rui Hachimura,
F Montrezl Harrell, G Aaron Holiday and G Raul Neto are still in
COVID-19 protocols
DEROZAN’S BIG SHOT: DeRozan said he concentrated on the
fundamentals before he shot the game-winner.
“I wanted to make sure my feet were behind the line,” he said.
“I wanted to give it a chance to go in.
“My shots all night were short. It’s tough to play on
back-to-backs. I kind of felt it throughout the game.”
LaVine shook his head when asked to describe DeRozan.
“The dude’s incredible,” LaVine said. “You can’t say much more
than that…Thank God we’ve got DeMar DeRozan on our team.”
BEAL IMPRESSED WITH DEROZAN: Throughout Beal’s NBA career, he
has marveled at DeRozan.
“That’s what he does,” Beal said. “He takes tough shots and he
makes tough shots.”
Beal believes the short-handed Wizards simply came up short
against a marvelous opponent.
“We did everything we possibly could to win, but DeRo just made
a crazy shot at the end of the game,” he said. “In a way, the shot
is demoralizing and takes the energy out of you, but to know that
we competed and played hard, we set ourselves up to win, and you
feel great about that.”
UP NEXT
Bulls: Host Orlando on Monday.
Wizards: Host Charlotte on Monday.