DeMar DeRozan has been on a heater for the Chicago Bulls and he pulled off a seventh-straight game in which he scored at least 35 points and shot better than 50% from the field, which broke a scoring record previously held by Wilt Chamberlain from 1963.
Any time you get mentioned in the same breath with Chamberlain, you’re doing something right. Any time you can break one of Chamberlain’s record, you’re doing something truly remarkable.
The Chicago Bulls (38-21) extended their winning streak to five games. The Bulls regained the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference and passed the Miami Heat.
DeRozan picked up the slack while teammate Zach LaVine has been sidelined with a swollen knee. LaVine visited multiple specialists in Los Angeles, and had his knee drained of fluid. He’s slated to return after the All-Star Break.
DDR: 35 and 50%
DeRozan led the Bulls in scoring in their last eight games with at least 31 points per game. He’s been on a tear February providing fans with his best Michael Jordan impression. He’s averaging 35.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game this month. He’s also shooting 47.2% from the floor and 33.3% from 3-point range, while knocking down 89.1% of his free throws.
Over the last seven games, DeRozan averaged 38.6 ppg while shooting nearly 61%. Last night against the Sacramento Kings, DeRozan passed Chamberlain with 38 points on 59% shooting.
“Just to be in the record books along with staples of basketball history, I’m speechless,” said DeRozan. “As a kid, as a fan of the history of the game, being in the NBA as long as I’ve been in the league, things like that continue to make me even more humble. It’s something I’ll never take for granted. And the crazy thing is, I feel like I missed eight easy shots I normally would have made. I felt like I had a bad shooting night, honestly.”
DeRozan shot 16-for-27 from the floor and knocked down his only 3-point attempt to break the Chamberlain record.
DDR for MVP?
Joel Embiid from the Philadelphia 76ers had a monstrous January averaging 24 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game while shooting 54% from the field. That stretch of sick balling thrust Embiid to the top of the MVP betting board at +140 odds.
However, After a sizzling February, DeRozan should be getting more love in the MVP race. He’s only +3000 odds over at DraftKings, but listed eighth overall. At the start of January, DeRozan knocked down back-to-back, game-winning buzzer beaters, which set the tone for the new calendar year.
Embiid and DeRozan are tied with eight-consecutive games scoring 30 or more points. DeRozan will have to wait until after the NBA All-Star Break to pass Embiid.
Overall this season, DeRozan averages 28.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game. He’s the fourth-best scorer in the NBA after his mini-rush. He’s also ranked #9 with a PER rating of 25.04.
DeRozan earned a spot on his fifth All-Star team this season. He earned a spot as a starter and will play for Team LeBron at the 2022 NBA All-Star Game this weekend.