DeMar DeRozan Went Bull Slaying in One of His Best Games Yet

The Chicago Bulls' 11-game winning streak against the Toronto Raptors, one that spanned over three calendar years, was defined by remarkable—and often unexpected—individual performances. Jimmy Butler broke Michael Jordan's single-half scoring record, Tony Snell inexplicably scored 16 points in a fourth quarter, and Doug McDermott became more haunting to the city of Toronto than 100 Norm Kellys.

To defeat the streak, then, Toronto was likely going to need some heroics of its own. And the game that would slay the albatross hung firmly around the neck of the Raptors wasn't going to be any straightforward affair, no matter what projections, betting lines, or logic might suggest: When a weird streak is born of individual oddities, normalcy just didn't make sense as a way out.

And so the Raptors and Bulls embarked upon perhaps their weirdest adventure yet, a game that saw the Bulls lead by as many as 16 and create an almost welcome specter of inevitability for Raptors fans. The energy draining at the Air Canada Centre, it took the unlikeliest of sparks to turn things around, with Robin Lopez throwing a punch at Serge Ibaka, Ibaka reciprocating, and all hell breaking loose from there.

The ACC sufficiently awoken and the Raptors given a much-needed spark as their newfound defensive reserves waned early, they suddenly started chipping away at the deficit. Head coach Dwane Casey downsized significantly to try to use speed, switchiness, and shooting to make the comeback, with Patrick Patterson playing the de facto center after Ibaka's ouster—and blocking a pair of shots in Ibaka-like fashion. Fred VanVleet jumped Delon Wright to play the final 19:31 of the game—every Raptors-Bulls game needs a random depth piece to be a major player—and P.J. Tucker guarded the hell out of Butler despite what a 37-point night might suggest.

Where Butler had long been the Chicxulub impactor, DeRozan played the matador expertly in this one. His line alone pops, of course, with his 42 points coming one shy of a career high. That he took 38 field-goal attempts to get there perhaps lessens the pop of the efficiency, but it speaks to the necessity of each of those points. The Raptors found themselves needing to come back in a hurry, and with his array of floaters, turnaround jumpers, and drives, not even the Butler-led Bulls had an answer to stop him completely.

DeRozan's scoring night would have looked even better were it not for a few circumstances, too, like a somewhat uncharacteristically poor night at the line, or a three to end regulation that was firmly in the "bad shot" category. (The script called for no timeout in order to keep Chicago's defense scrambled, and for DeRozan to attack rather than pull-up, but the defense gives what it gives. And hey, DeRozan had lunched a ridiculous end-of-clock three from obscenely deep earlier in the game.)

The offensive outburst looks different, too, without Kyle Lowry hand-in-hand. The pair of All-Stars are complementary offensive pieces, and without Lowry, DeRozan is liable to see far more traps and attention, short his best spot-up option to kick out to or the team's best playmaker to set up DeRozan's attacks. DeRozan became the team's best playmaker, then, dishing eight assists and two secondary assists, good for a 34.8-percent assist rate on the night.

Facilitating more often has been one of the most important changes in DeRozan's approach since the All-Star break, and he's truly taken that part of his game to another level. The last handful of games have also seen him step up his defense, long a weakness, thanks in part to the persistent chiding of Tucker. DeRozan was solid here, helping the team lock down over the fourth and overtime, and even turning away a Joffrey Lauvergne dunk attempt at the rim.

The play that stands out most was with the Raptors still down 14 with under six minutes to go. DeRozan was blocked by Paul Zipser, quickly ran back to pick Rajon Rondo's pocket in transition, then found Tucker for a three. It was perfect.

During the 11-game losing streak to Chicago, DeRozan was twice blocked on the final offensive possession of a game, the final score in the balance. He didn't exactly vanquish that by missing the winner at the end of regulation and shooting 2-of-7 in overtime, but he also scored five points alone to just seven for the Bulls in the frame. More importantly, for the bulk of the game up to that point, he carried the offense on his back and was a big part of the team's success on the defensive end.

It's hard to tell in the immediate aftermath how an individual game will look. DeRozan has had bigger statistical nights. He's had bigger moments. But given the psychological stakes at play here, he couldn't have picked a better time for one of the best all-around performances of his career.