In the play-in round, the Chicago Bulls defeated the Toronto Raptors 109-105 to secure the victory, but their MVP didn’t play a single minute.
The loud screaming of DeMar DeRozan’s kid may have contributed to the Raptors making only half of their free throw attempts.
The Bulls had to come back from 19 points down, with Zach LaVine scoring 39 points, including 30 in the second half.
The six-time NBA champions will face the Miami Heat in another win-or-go-home game on Friday night, April 14th, per ESPN.
DeRozan broke the Raptors fans’ hearts with 23 points, sending them home in the process. Nikola Vucevic added 14 points and 13 rebounds.
Diar DeRozan steals the show
The Bulls expected DeRozan to eliminate his former team from playoff contention. He did. Not by himself, though. He had his 9-year-old daughter Diar backing him up.
Every time the Raptors went to the line, her ear-splitting screams echoed throughout Scotiabank Arena.
The 2019 NBA champions shot 78.4% from the line during the regular season but missed a season-high 18 of its 36 free throw attempts in their defeat to the Bulls, per CBS Sports.
O.G. Anunoby (84), Pascal Siakam (77%), and Fred VanVleet (90%) were all decent from the line in the regular season but missed a combined 14 free throws against the Bulls, per the Athletic.
Diar’s scream may have affected Siakam during the game. He had a chance to tie the game with 12 seconds remaining on the clock. He missed two of three.
DeRozan said he was surprised to know it was his daughter screaming.
“I kept hearing something during the game during free throws,” Bulls guard DeMar DeRozan said after the game. “I looked back like … dang, that’s my daughter screaming,” via ESPN.
He said she won’t attend the Miami game.
“No,” DeRozan said. “She’s got to go back to school.”
DeRozan on Toronto
It was reported earlier reported on DeRozan describing how the city of Toronto meant to him before they played the Raptors.
He spent the first nine seasons of his career with the Raptors, who watched him blossom into a 4-time All-Star.
He made the Raptors a top team in the Eastern Conference.