Doug McDermott was clutch in the win.
Players must step up in games, in any way they can.With Dwyane Wade resting from back-to-back games small forward Doug McDermott came off the bench and stepped up in a big way, scoring a career-best 31 points with a hot second quarter to drive the Chicago Bulls(21-21) past the Memphis Grizzlies(25-18) on Sunday night.
McDermott’s 22 first-half points were more than his total for the four previous games of 21.
“You can’t be perfect every game, so you’ve just got to find a way to contribute out there and continue to work on your game,” said McDermott, who missed only one of seven shots in the second quarter. “That’s what I’ve done, and I was rewarded for the hard work.”
Jimmy Butler finished with 16 points 8 rebounds and 6 assists, Taj Gibson netted 18 points and 4 of the starting 5 Bulls scored double-digits in a game that had 16 lead changes with neither team gaining a double-digit lead.
Memphis point guard Mike Conley led the Grizzlies with 28 points.Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph both had a double-double finishing with 24 points and 11 rebounds and 15 points and a season-high 16 boards respectively.
“We couldn’t get to our defensive coverage to save our lives down the stretch,” Memphis coach David Fizdale said. “The second and fourth quarters, we didn’t defend at the level we are capable of defending.”
Chicago will host the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday while Memphis will travel to and face the Washington Wizards Wednesday night.
