DeMar DeRozan believes the sky is the limit for the surging Chicago Bulls as their resilient winning streak continued against the Indiana Pacers.
The Bulls grabbed a dramatic 108-106 road win on Friday, their sixth straight NBA triumph meaning they ended 2021 sitting top of the Eastern Conference at 23-10.
Chicago were without head coach Billy Donovan for a fourth straight game due to health and safety protocols, with Lonzo Ball absent for the same reason, while Alex Caruso is still out with a foot injury.
They were missing 10 players at one stage in December after a COVID-19 outbreak.
DeRozan, who hit an incredible buzzer-beating three-pointer to see off the Pacers, takes huge encouragement from the Bulls' fine form while the team has been undermanned.
"We have been battling COVID protocols with our coach, our players, for what has felt like the last two months," DeRozan said, per ESPN.
"For the team to be able to hold on, sustain like we are doing and end the year top of our conference, it speaks volumes to the type of team we are.
"And [it speaks volumes to] the type of team we can be once we get back to full strength."
DeRozan paid tribute to teammate Coby White, who hustled to grab a crucial rebound before the game-winning shot off one leg from 28 feet.
White also connected with six of seven attempts from behind the arc in a 24-point display, but it was DeRozan who took the plaudits with a game-high 28 and a +18 point differential.
DeRozan is the league leader for both total points and points per game in the fourth quarter.
This was his second career buzzer-beater and the first for a Bulls player since Jimmy Butler in 2016.
"For that shot to go in was a big-time relief for me," added four-time All Star DeRozan, who is in his first season with the Bulls after spells with the Toronto Raptors and San Antonio Spurs.
"We were battling that whole fourth quarter, feeling like nothing was going our way on both ends.
"We couldn't get a rebound. We couldn't get going offensively. It felt like we were getting beat up here and there.
"By the time I looked up at the clock, I said, 'All right, I got to make something happen'. I just tried to get enough space, get it up, get it over and as soon as it left my hand it felt good.
"I'm a firm believer in, as long as I got time I got a chance.
"Sometimes it's going to be rough nights, and you have got to understand, as long as there's time on that clock you can figure out something to do to pull out a victory. That's what we did."
The Bulls are back in action at the Washington Wizards (18-17) on Saturday.
Milan 3-1 Hellas Verona: Leao double condemns visitors to Serie A relegation play-off
Milan signed off the Serie A season with a 3-1 victory as Rafael Leao's double condemned Hellas Verona to a relegation play-off with Spezia.
The Rossoneri wrapped up a frustrating campaign on a winning note at San Siro, with a late Leao brace enough to seal three points.
Milan had already secured Champions League football for another term but struggled at times against the visitors, who cancelled out Olivier Giroud's first-half penalty through Marco Faraoni's 72nd-minute strike.
Yet Leao struck in the 85th minute and again seven minutes later, leaving Verona to face a relegation decider with Spezia, who succumbed to a late 2-1 loss at Roma.
Udinese 0-1 Juventus: Chiesa strikes but Bianconeri miss out on top-six Serie A finish
Juventus missed the chance to finish sixth in Serie A despite Federico Chiesa's strike sealing a 1-0 victory over Udinese at Dacia Arena.
After Paulo Dybala's late penalty helped Roma to a 2-1 victory over Spezia, Massimiliano Allegri's side were unable to leapfrog the Giallorossi and were forced to settle for a seventh-place finish in the league.
Chiesa's second-half strike was the difference for Juve, who were deducted 10 points for violating financial rules earlier in a rollercoaster campaign, but they suffered their lowest finish in Serie A for 12 years.
Meanwhile, Udinese finished 12th in Serie A following their 10th defeat in 12 meetings with the Old Lady.
Udinese had lost their last three but went close after just four minutes when Beto somehow headed Florian Thauvin's cross over from inside the six-yard box.
Federico Chiesa’s deflected effort hit the side-netting before Juve saw a headed opportunity go begging as Leonardo Bonucci nodded against the crossbar from seven yards out following Arkadiusz Milik's flick-on.
Chiesa continued to cause Udinese problems down the left flank, yet the sides headed into half-time goalless after a profligate showing from both teams.
Juve squandered a great chance to break the deadlock just after the hour mark, Adrien Rabiot firing wide despite being found by Milik in acres of space inside the box.
But the visitors eventually opened the scoring in the 68th minute, Chiesa receiving the ball from Manuel Locatelli before bending a brilliant shot into the bottom-right corner.
Locatelli and Angel Di Maria went close to extending the advantage and though the single goal was enough, former Juve forward Dybala was to snatch sixth place for Roma from under his old club's nose.
Celta Vigo 2-1 Barcelona: Veiga double secures safety as Celestes stun champions
Gabri Veiga scored twice as Celta Vigo clinched survival with a surprise 2-1 win over champions Barcelona on a dramatic final day of the season in LaLiga.
Starting the game in 17th, Celta knew a victory would preserve their top-flight status, and Carlos Carvalhal's men took charge as Veiga struck either side of the break.
The 21-year-old drilled into the bottom-left corner to spark wild scenes at the Balaidos shortly before half-time, then saw a fortuitous 65th-minute cross sail in off the far post.
Celta clung on after Barca substitute Ansu Fati nodded home, clinching a 13th-placed finish as Real Valladolid went down, while Barca ended the campaign 10 points clear of runners-up Real Madrid.
Barca thought they had an 11th-minute lead when Franck Kessie latched onto a rebound to beat Ivan Villar, only for a VAR review to show the midfielder was offside.
Oscar Rodriguez skewed a first-time shot just wide as Celta went close, while Robert Lewandowski saw a curling effort clip the outside of Villar's left post.
The offside flag thwarted Rodriguez as he capitalised on Marc-Andre ter Stegen's error to flick home, but Celta did go ahead on the stroke of half-time when Veiga raced onto Haris Seferovic's pass to finish across goal.
With Barca struggling for momentum, Veiga put Celta 2-0 up when his mishit cross from the right swerved over substitute goalkeeper Inaki Pena, clipping the woodwork before nestling in the back of the net.
Fati ensured a nervous finish by heading in Ousmane Dembele's cross 11 minutes from time, but Celta clung on to ensure another season of top-flight football.
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