The Bulls were six points down going into the final quarter, when DeRozan took charge, as usual, scoring eleven of the next thirteen points to put Chicago ahead.

Selected among the holders of the All-Star Game, which will be played on February 20, DeRozan is the player who has scored the most points in the fourth quarter this season (431 points).

He explained afterwards that he had tried to stay calm, even when the Spurs inflicted on the Bulls a severe 32-24 in the third quarter.

"You had to dissect this game. I recorded data throughout the game and when the fourth quarter came I knew exactly what to do," said De Rozan, who carries his team in the absence of Zach LaVine, injured in the left knee.

DeRozan sets a new record

The Bulls star also set a new franchise record on Monday, scoring 35+ points in six straight games.

It's better than the legendary Michael Jordan in the 1996-97 season.

"It's not just the fact that he scores a lot, which is absolutely incredible, but also his basketball IQ, his experience," said Bulls coach Billy Donovan.

If we add the statistics of Nikola Vucevic (25 points, sixteen rebounds) and Coby White (24 pts) or even Ayo Dosunmu (12 pts), combined with a two-point success of 52.3% for the Bulls and a domination in rebounds (58-41), the task was really complicated for the Spurs.

On the San Antonio side, substitute Lonnie Walker was the top scorer (21 pts), ahead of Doug McDermott and Dejounte Murray, 19 each.

In New York, Seth Curry scored 23 points in his first game for Brooklyn and the Nets ended an eleven-game losing streak by beating the Sacramento Kings by a wide margin (109-85).

It is their first victory since January 21, against the Spurs.

Curry had ten baskets on 18 attempts, including three award-winning shots, and added seven rebounds and five assists to his stat sheet.

The Nets are still without their best player, Kevin Durant, who attended the game on the bench, as did Australian Ben Simmons, who arrived on James Harden's transfer to the Philadelphia Sixers.

The defeated Warriors

In Washington, Kyle Kuzma also racked up 23 points, including 17 in the third quarter, and the Wizards beat the Detroit Pistons 103-94, inflicting their eighth straight loss.

Above all, the strong winger gave his side a margin at the start of the last quarter, by scoring seven points in the last 80 seconds of the third quarter (87-78).

It was only Washington's second victory in its last eleven matches.

The Wizards can now present a record of 26 wins for 30 losses.

The Pistons, despite Cade Cunningham (12 pts), still leading the rookie standings in the number of points scored, went four minutes without scoring at the end of the last quarter.

And their away record is increasingly disastrous: four wins, 25 losses this season.

Another 23-point scorer, CJ McCollum helped his new team, the New Orleans Pelicans, to dominate the Toronto Raptors (120-90).

Kyle Kuzma scored 17 points for the Wizards in the third quarter and helped his club win over the Detroit Pistons Greg Fiume GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP

In Los Angeles, Terance Mann finished with 25 points, his best score this season, and the Los Angeles Clippers inflicted on the Golden State Warriors (119-104) their 16th defeat of the season.

This does not prevent Stephen Curry's partners (33 pts) from still being second in the Western Conference.

© 2022 AFP