It wasn’t just some throw-away statement from DeMar DeRozan.
Tough talk just to sound tough.
No, DeRozan was deliberate and meant every word he said.
“I guarantee you that what you saw (Wednesday) night (in the loss to the Thunder), what we gave out (that) night, won’t be the same come (Friday),’’ the Bulls veteran insisted leading up to the game with Toronto.
DeRozan then delivered, single-handedly willing the Bulls back from a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit to force overtime, where his team would finally win it 104-103 thanks to an Alex Caruso three-pointer with 2.3 seconds left.
“Whatever we needed to get the win,’’ DeRozan said. “I just do what I gotta do to get the win, whatever I’ve got to do.’’
He wasn’t kidding, as he scored 18 of his 33 points in that high-intensity fourth.
“It’s how you respond,’’ DeRozan said, just two days after watching his team embarrassed by Oklahoma City in the opener.
He wasn’t alone in that response. As great as DeRozan was offensively, Caruso was equal to the task on the defensive end. That’s why he finished with 13 points, 13 rebounds, two steals, drawing a huge offensive foul, and finishing a plus-29 in plus/minus.
“It’s kind of like letting a cheetah out of the cage and just run wild when he’s out there,’’ DeRozan said of Caruso. “He makes it look pretty.’’
Just another night’s work for Caruso.
“Usually when there’s chaos like that, stuff is predictable,’’ Caruso said of his late-game heroics on both ends of the floor. “You can kind of foreshadow what’s going to happen or what guys are trying to do, so a lot of that is me anticipating. At that point of the game you just got to make plays.’’
That Caruso and DeRozan did.
Down 17 with just under five minutes left, it was Caruso who highlighted an 11-0 run with a three, cutting the deficit to six with 2:42 left. Coby White had a chance to make it a two-point game with 47 seconds left, but his three missed. The two teams traded free throws, with DeRozan pulling the game to within three with 20.3 seconds left, setting the stage for a quick-foul situation and a head-shaking ending.
The Bulls (1-1) got the turnover rather than having to foul, leading to a DeRozan hoop and harm. With a chance to tie the game, however, DeRozan missed the free throw. The Bulls tipped it back to DeRozan, but he missed the putback, with Chris Boucher getting the rebound.
The Bulls put Pascal Siakim at the line with 8.6 seconds left in regulation, and after the veteran forward made both it was hero time. DeRozan was up to the task, drawing the foul on a three-point attempt with 3.5 seconds left, and getting a chance for redemption.
After making the first two, however, he missed the last one and was called for a lane violation. But Toronto couldn’t stay out of its own way yet again, with Caruso drawing the offensive foul on Siakim. They again went back to DeRozan, who had a chance to win it with 0.3 seconds left, but again split the pair from the line to send the game to overtime.
That’s when the Bulls would finally finish off the visiting team thanks to Caruso blocking the Siakim attempt and LaVine pushing the ball up the floor. Rather than attacking the hoop, LaVine delivered the strike to Caruso, who nailed the three.
“Winning time is the last three, four minutes of the game when the plays are the most crucial,’’ Caruso said. “Doing all the little things to make sure you can steal possessions in a game that’s out of reach, so you can get it back in reach. Create chaos.’’