The was a skip in DeMar DeRozan’s step, and a scowl on his face.
With 1:27 left in the second overtime against Minnesota on Friday, the veteran had just nailed a tough 13-footer to stretch the lead to five.
He couldn’t help but show the emotion.
Finally, some breathing room in a season where the Bulls and DeRozan have far too often felt like they were suffocating.
Thanks to DeRozan’s game-high 49 points, the Bulls (32-37) outlasted the Timberwolves 139-131, keeping their Eastern Conference play-in hopes alive and well, retaking the 10th and final spot from idle Indiana.
Not that it was easy. Very little seems to be with this group.
Maybe it was the gut-punch that was the Lonzo Ball news 24 hours earlier, with the team announcing that Ball was headed for a third knee surgery in a 14-month time period, leaving next season in doubt.
Or maybe that’s just who this team is. A collection of inconsistent players displaying a bunch of inconsistent moments.
Exactly what Billy Donovan was hoping they could avoid with now 13 regular-season games left.
What he wasn’t going to do was dwell on what could have been, and he didn’t want his players doing the same, either.
“You never anticipate something like [Ball’s injury], especially last year the way we got off and the way we were playing when we were healthy and whole, and it’s a shame that group couldn’t see itself through for the entire season,’’ Donovan said. “That’s not an excuse. We’ve got enough in that locker room in my opinion that we can go out there and still do a good job. We haven’t had the results we’ve wanted.’’
Friday was a must-win, however.
Just in case the door wasn’t open wide enough with everything at stake for this team, Anthony Edwards and his right ankle kicked it off the hinges.
With 3:55 left in the first and the Timberwolves up by five, Edwards moved the wrong way and the ankle didn’t, as he immediately fell to the court in obvious pain. Several teammates had to help carry him to the locker room, sidelining the best player on the floor for either team.
Rather than jump at the opportunity to take advantage of Minnesota’s loss, it was just more lethargic play by the Bulls, as they allowed the visiting team to stretch the lead to as much as 13 at one point in the second quarter.
Thank goodness for some Zach LaVine hero ball just before the half, as two-time All-Star did everything to try and haunt the organization that once drafted him. That included a pair of free throws with just over a minute left, a 27-footer with 38 seconds left, and then a ridiculous contested three with two seconds left, sending the Bulls to the halftime locker room only down five.
Much needed life for a team that showed very little.
The good news was it had a carry-over.
The Bulls looked like a different team early in the third, and when DeRozan hit a corner three with 7:05 left, there was finally some momentum and a lead.
But these are the 2022-23 Bulls. A team where leads are just opportunities for opposing teams to run down.
That’s exactly what Minnesota did, closing out the third quarter on a 10-2 run and a 10-point lead.
Like early on in the third, the Bulls again decided to put the gas pedal down, outscoring the Timberwolves 33-22 in that final stanza to send the game to overtime.
Not the greatest place for the Bulls to venture considering they were 1-4 in overtimes on the season, but maybe they were due.
After the Timberwolves’ Jaden McDaniels missed a game-winning three-pointer, the Bulls tried a prayer at the rim with 0.2 seconds left that sent it to a second overtime. That’s when they finally took control, as LaVine finished with 39.
“We pulled it out, and at this point of the season we needed it,’’ LaVine said. “It was good enough to win, so I’m happy about that.’’
LaVine could also be happy about the combined 88 points between he and DeRozan, which set a new Bulls record by a duo.
“We’ve done that close before,’’ LaVine said. “Two guys get it going like that? Pick your poison.’’
