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On Monday night, the Chicago Bulls were able to avenge their weekend loss to the Toronto Raptors despite DeMar DeRozan scoring just nine points. The Bulls won 111-97 at the United Center. It was a good showing for the team, which had lost 113-104 to the Raptors in Toronto the previous night.
What made the win even more impressive was that DeRozan, the Bulls' leading scorer for the season, didn't have to go ballistic.
He didn't play badly or get into foul trouble early on. He didn't even play fewer minutes than normal. DeRozan just didn't run the Bulls' offense like he normally does.
In the absence of Lonzo Ball, DeRozan has often served as the team's primary ballhandler. On Monday, Zach LaVine took on the responsibility and ended up having a 30-point game.
Following the game, Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan made sure DeRozan got his flowers. Speaking to reporters following the win, Donovan pointed out that DeRozan gave himself up for the benefit of the team. Considering the Raptors were prepared for DeRozan to control the offense, they were not prepared for him to be a decoy.
The way The Athletic's Darnell Mayberry sees things, DeMar DeRozan didn't try to score. Instead, he did exactly what he needed to do to help the Bulls win:
"DeRozan scored a season-low-tying nine points. But he didn’t try to score. He dutifully acted as a decoy, expertly dissecting Toronto’s defense to help the Bulls salvage the two-game series."
Below you can see highlights from the Bulls' win over the Raptors on Monday night.
What DeMar DeRozan and the Chicago Bulls learned from their first loss to the Raptors?
After the Bulls' loss to the Raptors on Sunday night, Toronto coach Nick Nurse spoke with the media the following day about the win. The way he saw things, stopping DeMar DeRozan was key to the team's success the night before:
“What we had to pull out (Sunday) night on him to try to stop him; I mean, we stopped him and he still had 20. … We threw an all-out assault at him [Sunday] night in every way we could think of, and he still got 20.”
Later that day, DeRozan baffled Toronto's defense by leading the Bulls with seven assists. It was just the second time all season that DeRozan had scored less than 10 points. Earlier this month, he scored nine in the team's win over the Charlotte Hornets.
With seven assists against the Raptors on Monday, it was the second-most assists DeMar DeRozan has dished out in a game all season. He had nine against the Miami Heat in the season opener.
In that game too, the Bulls were able to get the win. It's interesting that the team has managed to win in games where DeRozan isn't the primary scorer. Over the course of the past two seasons, DeRozan has taken over primary scoring duties from Zach LaVine.
In games where DeRozan isn't the primary scorer, however, the team has found success. It's something that bodes well for the franchise going forward. Considering how stacked the Eastern Conference is, the Bulls will have to be at their best if they want to make a playoff push.
Check out some of DeMar DeRozan's highlights from last season.
