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.
Kerr demands improvements from Team USA as Olympic opener looms
United States coach Steve Kerr wants to see higher levels of intensity from his team as their Olympics campaign approaches.
Kerr was unhappy with the lacklustre displays from his side in their warm-ups against Germany and South Sudan.
Germany led 71-68 at the end of the third quarter before LeBron James conjured up 11 points in the final four minutes to give the USA a 92-88 win, while South Sudan were 20 seconds away from pulling off one of the biggest shocks in basketball history, before eventually falling to a 101-100 loss.
The USA face a dangerous Serbia side featuring reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic on Sunday, and Kerr is adamant that improvements are required if they are to win a fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal.
He said: "It's got to be 40 minutes of force and attention and focus, and we can't let teams outplay us effort and energy-wise like we did the other night against Germany, like we did against South Sudan.
“We have another level. I think we have another two levels that we can get to, but it's a collaboration, always.
"We can show them, 'Let's do this, let's do that. Let's learn personnel.'
"We got to know the shooters, know the non-shooters, all that stuff. So that's where we can help them. Where they can help themselves is just effort and energy play after play, after play. This is different."
Kerr is a four-time NBA champion as a coach, and was part of the triumphant Olympics team in Tokyo in 2021, but the Golden State Warriors boss knows the experience of the Games will only be enhanced if the USA were to come out on top again.
"This should be one of the great experiences of our lives. But the best way to make it an incredible experience is to win a gold medal," he said.
After facing Serbia, the USA will once again go up against South Sudan, this time in a competitive format, before ending the group stage with a match against Puerto Rico.
Sesko opts for Leipzig stay over Arsenal, Man Utd move due to progress opportunities
Benjamin Sesko remains certain that staying at RB Leipzig is the "right decision" to develop his career after turning down reported Premier League interest.
Slovenia international Sesko joined Leipzig from RB Salzburg in 2023, scoring 14 league goals last campaign, a tally bettered by only seven players in the German top flight.
That form was said to have attracted Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea to the 21-year-old, who instead signed a new five-year contract with the Bundesliga club last month.
Having committed his future to life at the Red Bull Arena, the striker believes Leipzig will provide a platform for his progression.
"I thought it through very well," Sesko said to Nogomania, a Slovenian media outlet. "I believe I made the right decision. I wanted to gain more experience, learn more, and not rush things.
"Leipzig are an excellent club that can provide what I need for the next step. Leipzig's vision is clear; everything is geared towards growth, progress, and high goals. I felt it was right to decide this way."
Sesko's new deal could see him stay with Leipzig until 2029, with Marco Rose boasting one of the world's most exciting prospects up top.
The Leipzig attacker scored from 14 of his 47 shots last season in the league, a conversion rate of 29.8% – the third-best ratio in the 2023-24 Bundesliga among players to have managed at least five goals.
That deadly finishing in front of goal will have Rose excited once more, and Sesko says his boss was key to the decision to stay.
"We talked," Sesko explained. "He told me he wanted me to stay but also said I should decide based on my feelings.
"He said if I felt I needed to move on, I should go, but if not, I should stay. He's an excellent coach who has led many great players.
"I'm glad I decided this way. I did it before the Euro to keep a clear head and focus entirely on the championship."
Durant warns Team USA 'everybody is a contender' in Olympic basketball tournament
Kevin Durant has warned Team USA they will not have an easy ride through the basketball tournament at the Paris Olympic Games, declaring: "Everybody is a contender".
The United States will go in search of a fifth straight men's basketball gold in the French capital, where they open their Group C campaign against Serbia on Sunday.
After that meeting with Nikola Jokic and company, the star-studded USA team featuring Durant, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Joel Embiid and a host of other NBA stars take on South Sudan and Puerto Rico.
With Steve Kerr having so much talent at his disposal, the roster has been compared to that of the 1992 'Dream Team', who took gold in Barcelona behind the efforts of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Scottie Pippen and other great names.
However, at a press conference ahead of Team USA's 2024 opener, Curry reminded reporters that the class of 1992 only faced nine other active NBA players.
Durant is expecting a much tougher assignment this year, responding to Curry by saying: "Everybody is a contender. Everyone is here for a reason.
"We're playing against 65 or 64 NBA players in Paris. So you know they're the best in the world."
Asked to identify the main players to watch from other nations, the Phoenix Suns forward said: "Giannis [Antetokounmpo] or Jokic."
While Durant adopted a cautious tone, Golden State Warriors star Curry was more bullish regarding the USA's gold medal hopes.
Quizzed on who he was most excited about facing, Curry simply said: "Whoever's in the gold medal game."
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