Bulls players are in a much better mood following an OT victory

Bulls had to go to the OT to secure the first win of the season.

© Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports

Following a season-opening 20-point loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday, Bulls players vented their emotions, even asking coach Billy Donovan if they could have the locker room to themselves afterward. Following Thursday's practice, forward DeMar DeRozan promised a greater effort against the Raptors, and he delivered by rallying the club with an 18-point fourth quarter.

Alex Caruso stepped up in the clutch 

Coming off the bench, Alex Caruso provided a needed push for the Bulls, they came down from the double-digit deficit and secured the overtime. In overtime, Caruso made a clutch three-pointer to secure the victory for the Wind City team. 

Talking after the game, Caruso could not hide his happens. "It was a good sense of relief," remarked Caruso, who ended the game with 13 points and 13 rebounds,. "One, the game is over. We got to play again tomorrow; I was tired. Two, just excited. We have good team chemistry. With our players-only meeting the other day, it was just frustration of how we came out and played."

Talk to em, AC 🎤 @ACFresh21 pic.twitter.com/a7atVwLwsD

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) October 28, 2023

Deboo wants the Bulls to utilize this win as a template for the upcoming games

DeMar DeRozan was the lead scorer for the team with 33 points and, after the game, praised his teammates' mental toughness that gave them an opportunity to steal a win. He believes that the team should build from here and use this game as a blueprint for the next ones. 

"It was all about how we bounced back and responded," said DeRozan. "I had the trust and confidence within my teammates that we would come out and compete. We had some lulls throughout the game [Friday], but we never gave in. We stuck with it and fought to the end and we gave ourselves an opportunity to win. Things like that, we have to feed off that."

DeRozan scored 22 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, but he also missed multiple opportunities to seal the victory in regulation. He missed three game-tying or game-winning free shots in the final 15 seconds of the fourth quarter, becoming the first player since 1997-98 to accomplish so in a single game.

DEEBO IN THE CLUTCH pic.twitter.com/EaGe5cHVvE

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) October 28, 2023

Chicago Bulls get their first win in a thrilling overtime game against the Toronto Raptors