DeRozan scores 37 pts, Bulls repulse Hawks

Los Angeles – DeMar DeRozan notched his eighth straight game with at least 35 points to power the Chicago Bulls to a 112-108 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday as the NBA returned to action after its All-Star break.

DeRozan scored 37 points and pulled down six rebounds, capping his night with the game-winner in Chicago’s sixth straight victory.

The Hawks were up 108-107 when DeRozan put Chicago in front with a turnaround jump shot. Fouled on the play by Bogdan Bogdanovic, DeRozan converted the free throw, and with 15 seconds remaining, Bogdanovic missed Atlanta’s final attempt.

“You don’t want to be down and have the pressure on yourself to pull out a game, (but) when you’re in those moments, you’ve got to take it on,” DeRozan said.

“I love the moments. I love the challenge. I love the opportunity,” he added. “It’s fun for me.”

The victory saw the Bulls edge half a game ahead of Miami for the Eastern Conference lead.

DeRozan, 32, has been the Bulls’ driving force, re-emerging this season as a formidable scorer.

The former Raptors and Spurs forward returned to the All-Star Game on Sunday and his exploits have him in the Most Valuable Player conversation.

His eight straight games of 35 points or more are just two shy of the best such streak in Bulls history, set in 1986 by NBA icon Michael Jordan.

Only five other players have had such a streak in the NBA: Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and James Harden.

“That’s greatness right there,” said Tristan Thompson, who scored 11 points off the bench in his Bulls debut.