Play.
The game was called with a one-legged 3-point buzzer-beater.
The Bulls beat the Pacers on a game-winning 3 by DeMar DeRozan. (0:45)
After DeMar DeRozan hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Bulls a win over the Pacers, he stood several steps behind the 3-point line and raised his arms.
While his teammates celebrated, he was just relieved.
"For that shot to go in, we were battling that whole fourth quarter, feeling like nothing was going our way on both ends," he said after the Bulls' sixth straight win. We couldn't get a rebound. We couldn't get going. It felt like we were being beaten up. It was a relief for me.
After Coby White dove on the floor to get a rebound, the ball was given to DeRosa who dribbled up the court. Chris Fleming, the acting head coach of the Bulls, thought about using a timeout, but he saw that DeRozan had some space to operate. DeRozan locked eyes with LaVine, got a screen from Vucevic, and said he was considering passing the ball before he looked up.
By the time I looked at the clock, I said I had to make something happen. "I just tried to get enough space, get it up, and then get it over and it felt good."
It was the first game-winning buzzer-beater of his career and the second game-winning buzzer-beater of his career. Since December of 2016 no Bulls player has hit a game-winning basket.
The league's most prolific scorer in the final period this season has been DeRozan. He leads the NBA in fourth quarter points. He has been the steadying hand for the Bulls in clutch moments this season, but hadn't had a chance to deliver a victory like this during his first season in Chicago.
After the Bulls' victory on Friday, LaVine called it the "New Year's Eve Heave" on his account.
As long as I have time, I'm a firm believer in it. I always take that approach into a game. You have to understand that sometimes it's going to be rough and you have to figure out a way to pull out a victory. We did that tonight.
The Bulls have a six-game winning streak. The Brooklyn Nets are the best team in the Eastern Conference, but they own the tie-breaker.
Despite a teamwide COVID-19 outbreak in December, the Bulls continued their winning streak. The NBA's first two games of the season were postponed due to as many as 10 players being injured at one time. Lonzo Ball is still out with a foot injury, Billy Donovan is out with a foot injury, and Alex Caruso is out with a foot injury.
It felt like two months since we've been battling COVID protocols. "For the team to be able to hold on, sustain like we're doing and end the year top of our conference, it speaks volumes to the type of team we are." Once we get back to full strength, the type of team we can be can be found.
