The Chicago Bulls' DeRozan-Fox Closing Combo: A Deep Dive
Here's a breakdown of their partnership
About four minutes into their thrilling overtime victory over the Indiana Pacers on October 20, the Chicago Bulls found themselves down by a score of 108-107. The Pacers had taken the lead with a 3-pointer as the shot clock expired, and the onus was on the Bulls to answer.
Step up DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso. With the Bulls trailing by a single point, DeRozan, who had already scored 28 points, came off a screen from Nikola Vucevic to the right of the top of the key.
DeRozan had his man, Pacers forward Oshae Brissett, on his hip. With Brissett guarding him tightly, DeRozan patiently waited for Vucevic to clear out to the weak side of the floor before jabbing to his right and driving into the heart of the Pacers' defense.
DeRozan, a four-time All-Star, used his strength to shield Brissett from the ball as he drove to his sweet spot just inside the free-throw line. Brissett, who gave up three inches to DeRozan, had no chance of stopping the 6-foot-6, 229-pound forward.
Once DeRozan got inside, he quickly rose up and drained a midrange jumper over the outstretched arms of Brissett to put the Bulls back up by a score of 109-108 with 3:36 remaining in overtime.
The DeRozan-Caruso connection was at it again a few possessions later. With the Bulls clinging to a 113-112 lead, Caruso came off a screen from DeRozan in the right corner.
Caruso's man, Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton, played him for the pass. But Caruso never looked to receive the ball. Instead, he faked the pass to Vucevic in the post, then quickly cut to the rim.
DeRozan recognized Caruso's cut and delivered a perfect bounce pass right into his teammate's waiting hands. Caruso caught the pass and laid it in, giving the Bulls a 115-112 lead with just over two minutes remaining in overtime.
The DeRozan-Caruso duo closed out the game for the Bulls, combining for seven points in the final four minutes of overtime. It was a fitting end to a game that saw the two players combine for 48 points, 15 rebounds, and 11 assists.
