DeMar DeRozan Draws Praise from NBA Twitter in Bulls' Win Over Trae Young, Hawks

Scott Polacek @@ScottPolacekFeatured Columnist IVJanuary 24, 2023

Chicago Bulls' DeMar DeRozan (11) drives during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023, in Chicago. Chicago won 121-112. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)

AP Photo/Paul Beaty

The 1,000th game of DeMar DeRozan's NBA career was a memorable one.

The five-time All-Star led his Chicago Bulls to a 111-100 victory over the Atlanta Hawks in Monday's potential Eastern Conference play-in tournament preview at the United Center. Chicago is still just 22-24 on the season, but it has won three in a row and is starting to look like a threat to the middle of the East standings.

Atlanta dropped to 24-24 with a second consecutive loss.

DeRozan finished with a game-high 26 points and took over for a stretch in the fourth quarter when the game was on the line, which led to plenty of praise on social media:

Bulls Talk @NBCSBulls
Wanna see DeRozan from midrange? <a href="https://t.co/RLNkVyPxol">pic.twitter.com/RLNkVyPxol</a>

Bleacher Nation Bulls @BN_Bulls
This is my nightly tweet about DeMar DeRozan being one of the best scorers in the NBA.

Matt Peck @Bulls_Peck
That look DeMar gave as he headed to the bench after his filthy crossover pull-up. Yeah. He knows how good he is, lol.

Peachtree Hoops @peachtreehoops
The Bulls are shooting approximately 101% on long twos against Atlanta in the fourth quarter this season.

NBA TV @NBATV
DeMar going to work in traffic 😮‍💨 Head to NBA TV NOW to catch the final moments of Hawks-Bulls 🍿 <a href="https://t.co/Vr30uaqjL8">pic.twitter.com/Vr30uaqjL8</a>

Chicago Bulls @chicagobulls
1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ games! Congrats to DeMar DeRozan on reaching 1000 career games played 👏<a href="https://twitter.com/moetchandon?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MoetChandon</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MoetMoment?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MoetMoment</a> <a href="https://t.co/pFmQ32Zw0h">pic.twitter.com/pFmQ32Zw0h</a>

Michael Walton @ZenMasterMike
DeMar DeRozan had Clint Capela IN HELL 😭😭

Christos Tsaltas @Tsaltas46
DeMar DeRozan is one of the purest hoopers who ever played the game. His consistency is remarkable. In his 1,000th game destroys the Hawks defense. He balled out once again. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BullsNation?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BullsNation</a>

Matt Duehn @DuehnMatt
Demar Derozan mid range is toughhhhh

Michael Cerami @Michael_Cerami
I know this (or the last) Bulls season hasn't quite gone according to plan, but I'm really happy to have DeMar DeRozan. Dude's a beast. <a href="https://t.co/ONEiqYA1Lq">https://t.co/ONEiqYA1Lq</a>

It wasn't a solo effort for the USC product, as six Bulls finished in double figures. Zach LaVine added 20 points, while Nikola Vučević (14 points and 17 rebounds) and Patrick Williams (18 points and 10 rebounds) controlled the boards with double-doubles.

Chicago's defense was also solid and held Trae Young to 0-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc while forcing 18 Atlanta turnovers.

Yet it was DeRozan who put the game away with a three-pointer, drive to the basket and vintage mid-range jumper during a span where he scored seven straight points for the Bulls in the later stages of the fourth quarter when the Hawks were attempting to close the gap.

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It was enough to take the drama out of the finishing stretch and help Chicago extend its winning streak.

It will go for a fourth straight Tuesday with a road game against the Indiana Pacers.