Bulls' DeMar DeRozan named Eastern Conference Player of Week
Bulls' DeMar DeRozan named Eastern Conference Player of Week originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
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DeMar DeRozan's fourth-quarter dominance drew attention.
The Chicago Bulls veteran earned his 15th career Eastern Conference Player of the Week award and fourth with the Bulls on Monday. Coincidentally, DeRozan's Western Conference counterpart, Luka Dončić, is at the United Center on Monday with the Dallas Mavericks.
DeRozan averaged 29.8 points, 6.3 assists and 5.5 rebounds as he helped the Bulls to a 3-1 trip against Western Conference teams. He shot 55.1 percent from the field, including 41.2 percent from 3-point range, and 92.3 percent from the free-throw line.
But DeRozan saved his best work for the fourth quarter. He scored 48 points in the four fourth quarters but really stood out in the three victories, averaging 15 points and scoring 20 clutch points.
DeRozan scored 19 points in the fourth quarter and iced the road victory over the Sacramento Kings with two free throws with 3.5 seconds left. He added 17 in the fourth against the Utah Jazz and sank the go-ahead free throws with 9.3 seconds left. And he scored nine points in the fourth against the Golden State Warriors, putting the Bulls ahead for good with a difficult and-one jumper and icing the victory with two free throws in the waning seconds.
DeRozan's four Player of the Week honors with the Bulls ties Ben Gordon and Jimmy Butler for the third-most total in franchise history behind Derrick Rose and Scottie Pippen, who each won five, and Michael Jordan, who fittingly won 23.
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