Time off has been blessing in disguise for Bulls veteran DeMar DeRozan

PARIS — Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan doesn’t exactly love interruptions to his routine. There’s a flow to an NBA season, and any disruption in that becomes a distraction.

This week, however, DeRozan is willing to make an exception.

It isn’t often that he gets to pack up his five kids — four daughters and one son — for an in-season road trip, but that’s exactly what he did for the NBA Paris Game between the Bulls and Pistons on Thursday.

‘‘To be able to be here and experience that as a basketball player is amazing,’’ DeRozan said. ‘‘And then to have my son and my daughters here to witness it is an awesome thing. I’m going to get a feel and experience with them with us having a day off [from practice Tuesday]. Obviously, the Eiffel Tower . . . just everything about [Paris], trying the food, taking some tea home, just taking it all in.’’

As DeRozan pointed out, it’s not bad for a guy from Compton, California, who as a boy never would have imagined playing in Paris.

‘‘No, never have I ever, ever [imagined it], so that’s another reason why it’s so cool to even be here,’’ DeRozan said. ’’It just shows you how far playing basketball can take you.’’

Even the basketball side of this week plays in DeRozan’s favor. While he usually would hate playing only one game in a seven-day span, the schedule works for him in his recovery from a strained right quadriceps.

DeRozan went down in the third quarter of the Bulls’ loss Jan. 9 to the Celtics, but he had been dealing with soreness in the quad for weeks before that. He missed the Bulls’ next three games — losses to the Wizards and Thunder and a victory against the Warriors — but now has the luxury of more time to get the leg right without missing any more games.

If the Bulls had to play Tuesday, DeRozan admitted he didn’t know whether he would have been able to do so. That’s not the case for Thursday.

‘‘For sure, yeah,’’ DeRozan said when he was asked whether he would play.

Coach Billy Donovan said DeRozan participated in parts of a light practice Monday, continued getting treatment Tuesday, then really would push it in practice Wednesday to see whether he has any setbacks. But all indications are that the Bulls will have their leading scorer back.

‘‘It’s an experience that’s one-of-a-kind,’’ DeRozan said. ‘‘I’ve been in the league 14 years, and I’ve never been to Paris. So to come here and be able to compete and do something in front of a fan base you don’t get the chance to do something in front of, I don’t take the opportunity for granted one bit. It’s the experience that lasts a lifetime.’’

Ball-ing out

While guard Lonzo Ball (surgery on left knee) made the trip to Paris with his teammates this week, they might not want to get used to seeing him on the road just yet.

Ball, who has yet to play this season after undergoing a second knee surgery in less than a year in September, will continue doing his rehab in Chicago when the team returns Friday. The trip to France was an exception, with Ball usually able to get more done at the Advocate Center than on the road.

‘‘Obviously, I’ve got to work through [discomfort],’’ Ball said. ‘‘There’s going to be pain there because of the surgeries, and I’m getting back in and moving things. But I’m just trying to stay positive and move forward.’’