DeMar DeRozan got ejected in the last second of Friday’s game against Toronto for arguing with the Raptors’ bench. He was upset that Pascal Siakam attempted a three-pointer when they were already up by 12 points.
The Raptors explained they were considering point differential for tiebreakers in the in-season tournament, even though they had already been eliminated earlier in the day.
“I don’t care about no in-season tournament points, none of that. Just respect for the game,” DeRozan said. “If the roles was flip-flopped and I had the ball, hold it. It is what it is.”
“I mean, I knew that (they were eliminated),” DeRozan continued. “But I didn’t care about that either. Just everybody was yelling at him, ‘Score, score, score.’ Take the win. Get out of here. Like I said, if roles were reversed, needing in-season tournament points or not, just for the respect I have for my opponents, I hold the ball. Especially if there’s no shot clock. That’s just me.”
The Bulls are facing a bigger issue with a 5-12 record, having lost three consecutive games and six of their last seven. DeRozan expressed his frustration by tearing a towel during a timeout and ripping off his jersey after being ejected.
“I can’t fake it. I’m beyond frustrated. And I think it’s rightfully so as a competitor,” DeRozan said. “Everybody in this locker room is frustrated. It’s from a good place of being a competitor and wanting to figure it out that badly. Put a couple wins together. I really truly believe that can shift everything for us.
“… We gotta challenge ourselves. We can’t have those spiritual talks. We gotta challenge each other to leave it all the way out there. That’s a good thing to be challenged. Ask something of yourself more than you ever have at this point, myself included. That’s where we’re at.”
DeMar DeRozan was “beyond frustrated” after another Bulls loss on Friday. Story: https://t.co/d8cagkuxhM
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) November 25, 2023
