There was the 25-footer off the Jevon Carter pass.
Not even 40 seconds later came the vintage “Compton Two-step” that took DeMar DeRozan from the comforts of his usual midrange all the way to the rim for the layup.
Another 40 seconds off the clock, and another three from the 34-year-old veteran. This time, he simply brought the ball up the court and walked into it.
Yep, it had to be the fourth quarter.
Like he has done throughout his three-year stint with the Bulls — including that heroic 46-point effort in Wednesday’s road win against the Pacers — DeRozan (a k a “The King of the Fourth’’) was at it again a night later, this time with the Bulls hosting the Clippers.
It was an all-too-familiar script for DeRozan and the Bulls, beginning with a slow start, an ugly third-quarter deficit — this time 20 points — then DeRozan painting his face for the final stand and going all “Braveheart.”
Considering the Bulls entered the night among the league leaders in clutch games and had a 23-15 record in those games, DeRozan was successful more times than not.
The visiting Clippers made sure it was a not Thursday.
DeRozan, who had 21 points, helped get the deficit down to eight in the fourth, but with a better team and better players, the Clippers turned it up over the last nine minutes and ended up winning a laugher 126-111.
Playing without Coby White (right hip) didn’t help.
“Losing Coby is a big loss, not only for his scoring but his presence,” center Nikola Vucevic said. “The defense has to focus on him so much. His shot-making, his creating. He’s a big part of what we do, and on top of all the other guys we’re missing, it’s tough.”
Not that the Clippers’ “Big Two” minded much. Paul George finished with a game-high 28 points and shot 6-for-7 from three-point range, and Kawhi Leonard had 27 points. Even with James Harden sitting the game out, Los Angeles answered every Bulls threat thanks to 20-for-41 (48.8%) shooting from three-point range and just under 60% from the field.
“With his length and size, [George] is a hard guy to contest once he gets it going,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said.
He would know. After all, Donovan coached George back in his Oklahoma City days.
“We tried to obviously trap him and Kawhi,” Donovan said. “We turned them over a couple of times, but obviously not enough. Both of those two guys’ size, they have the ability to play over you.”
Despite being undermanned and undersized at times, Donovan remained impressed with how DeRozan continues to everything he can to try to will the Bulls (32-35) out of the No. 9 spot in the Eastern Conference.
“He gets very focused, he gets very quiet,” Donovan said of DeRozan in those final quarters and moments of games. “I don’t think he gets distracted by what’s going on. He thrives in the chaos and those crunch moments. He’s able to calm himself and read the defense. He knows what spots and how to get to spots himself. And then I think just his concentration and ability to block things out.
“The moment never overwhelms him. He’s really done that throughout his entire career. It’s an incredible gift that he’s had or been able to work at over a period of time. I think the great ones lean into those moments, and he leans into having the ball and making the next best play.”
DeRozan will have to continue to do that with 15 games left and still so much at stake. The good news was the Bulls have the second-easiest remaining schedule.
