The Toronto Raptors blew out the Chicago Bulls in their in-season tournament encounter. Despite Zach LaVine’s incredible 36-point performance, Chicago lost the game 121-108. Tonight’s loss marked the end of the in-season tournament journey for the Bulls. Chicago has lost all three of their group stage games, and the outcome of their next game will be inconsequential to their future. A big reason for Chicago’s loss was the underwhelming performance of DeMar DeRozan.

DeRozan was unable to get going and scored only 19 points in tonight’s loss. To rub salt in his wounds, DeMar suffered a harsh verdict for calling out Raptors star Pascal Siakam for a disrespectful act.

DeMar DeRozan gets penalized for calling out Pascal Siakam

Bulls star DeMar DeRozan got ejected from the game against the Raptors in the final seconds. While Toronto was leading by 12 points, Pascal Siakam attempted a three-pointer with just 6 seconds remaining till the final whistle. DeRozan found Siakam’s act disrespectful and was fuming after the play. He believed Siakam could have dribbled out the clock and won the game instead of taking the shot. DeRozan kept talking to the Raptors bench while the game was still going, and he eventually got tossed by the official.

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It is an unsaid rule in the NBA that players dribble out the clock when they have a commanding lead. But the Raptors decided to ignore that rule as they were gunning for a spot in the knockout stages of the in-season tournament. Point differential will play a huge role in determining which team goes to the knockout stages, motivating the players to play hard till the final whistle. With tonight’s win, Toronto improved their in-season tournament record to 1-2. DeRozan addressed Siakam’s shot after the game, “I don’t care about no In-Season Tournament points or none of that. Just respect for the game.”

DeMar DeRozan squashes beef with Masai Ujiri

While DeMar DeRozan had a tough night in Toronto, something good came of visiting his old home. After getting ejected, DeRozan walked back to the locker room in frustration. On his way out, DeRozan hugged Raptors President Masai Ujiri, squashing their long-time beef. DeMar played for the Toronto Raptors from 2009 to 2018 but was unable to get the Raptors past LeBron James in the playoffs.

Read More: “Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan Should Do Uber”: Fans Belittle Bulls Duo as Jimmy Butler and Co Go 22-1 Up

So, Masai Ujiri traded DeRozan to the San Antonio Spurs in 2018 in exchange for Kawhi Leonard. That proved to be a blockbuster trade for the Raptors as they won their first Championship the following year. But it created a rift between DeMar and Ujiri. DeRozan got blamed for the Raptors’ failure after they won a title without him. It has been 5 years since that incident, and it is great to see Masai Ujiri and DeMar DeRozan settle their beef and understand that it was all part of the game.

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