DeMar DeRozan hasn’t been as brilliant in the clutch this season as he was the last, but by just about any other standard he’s still been great. Entering Friday’s game against the Knicks, DeRozan trailed only Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with 72 total clutch points at a 45-percent shooting clip.
The Bulls aren’t winning those tight games like they did last season. But they got one on Friday courtesy of DeRozan, who dealt the Knicks a brutal loss with a game-winning jumper — plus the foul — with 0.4 seconds remaining.
Billy Donovan drew up a basic ball screen to get the bigger RJ Barrett switched off on DeRozan, who then got to go one on one with Quentin Grimes. Once DeRozan, one of the best iso players in the league, starts walking you down in the middle of the court like that, it’s a wrap. He’s going to get to his spot and pull up for the exact shot he wants. It’s just a matter of whether he makes it. It remains a very good bet, in these situations, that he will.
Before DeRozan could play hero, however, he required an assist from Jalen Brunson, who went to the free-throw line with a chance to put the Knicks up by three with six seconds remaining. An 89-percent free-throw shooter, Brunson clanked them both, paving the way for DeRozan on the other end.
After winning eight straight, the Knicks have now lost two in a row.