NBA: DeMar DeRozan scores 36 as Bulls beat Pistons to end 5-game skid
DeMar DeRozan #11 of the Chicago Bulls drives around Hamidou Diallo #6 of the Detroit Pistons during the second half at Little Caesars Arena on March 09, 2022 in Detroit, Michigan. Gregory Shamus/Getty Images/AFP
DeMar DeRozan pumped in 36 points as the visiting Chicago Bulls ended a five-game losing streak and continued their dominance over the Detroit Pistons with a 114-108 victory on Wednesday night.
DeRozan made 12 of 25 field goal attempts and 12 of 13 free throws. He added eight rebounds, four assists and two steals as the Bulls defeated the Pistons for the 11th consecutive time and swept the four-game season series.
Zach LaVine supplied 25 points and Nikola Vucevic had 21 points and six rebounds. The Bulls were just 3-for-15 on 3-point attempts but shot 52.6 percent overall. They also outscored Detroit 31-13 at the free throw line.
Cade Cunningham led the Pistons, who had their three-game winning streak snapped, with 22 points and six assists. Saddiq Bey, Kelly Olynyk and Jerami Grant had 12 points apiece, while Marvin Bagley III, Saben Lee and Hamidou Diallo chipped in 10 points apiece.
🗣 "KING OF THE FOURTH!"@MichelobULTRA | #ULTRAMoment pic.twitter.com/yU83F3i1Aw
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) March 10, 2022
The Pistons led 56-53 at halftime behind Cunningham, who had 12 points and five assists. LaVine had 17 and Vucevic 14 in the first half as both teams shot better than 55 percent. Neither club had a lead bigger than eight points.
Cunningham opened the second with a layup to give Detroit a five-point lead. The Bulls led briefly during the quarter but the Pistons reasserted themselves later in the period. Cunningham had five points in the last 2:15 and Diallo energized the crowd with a pair of dunks as Detroit led 91-84 entering the fourth.
DeRozan had five points and an assist in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter but the Pistons still maintained the lead. However, the Bulls continued to chip away and eventually took the lead at 103-99 with an 11-0 run. LaVine started it with a layup and completed it with two free throws. In between, DeRozan contributed four points.
Bey scored from mid-range to halt the run. DeRozan hit jumpers in back-to-back possessions to make it 109-101.
DeRozan knocked down another from the elbow for a 112-105 edge to essentially put the game away.
