DeMar DeRozan challenges himself and Chicago Bulls to stop falling behind early

DeRozan is seeing a trend in the Bulls' losing streak and hopes they can snap out of it.

© Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

Chicago Bulls All-Star wingman DeMar DeRozan is seeing a pattern develop in their most recent losing spell — getting behind early in games and never recovering.

The Bulls have dropped four of their past five games, and DeRozan is determined to prevent this from continuing. He's challenging himself and the rest of the team to start strong in each game instead of letting the opposition seize control early on.

Getting behind early

In their last game against the Sacramento Kings, the Bulls fell behind by 18 points in the second quarter, 43-61. Even though they clawed their way back into the game and cut the deficit to one in the fourth, the Kings had too much firepower and pulled away late for a 110-101 victory.

DeRozan said this trend has been frustrating and how the team responds in the early minutes of each game is vitally important.

"It's the beauty of sports, of life. When you get down, your true character shows of who you want to be. It's on us to control that narrative going forward. It's supposed to be frustrating, it's supposed to hurt, it's supposed to suck, it's supposed to be all those things," said DeRozan.

The veteran added that the Bulls have to lock in and be aware of the various details that can make a difference in the outcome of each game.

"Now, how do we challenge ourselves to come out of this thing and make something out of it?" DeRozan continued. "A true competitor is going to pull through. We've really got to dig in and be conscious of that, understand what is our flaws in moments of the game and try to pinpoint what is it that's giving us that deficit that we've got to fight against."

Compton's finest. https://t.co/4BZUSMqiTa pic.twitter.com/BxUem8fFwz

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) December 5, 2022

Chance to get better

After a grueling six-game road trip—the Bulls went 2-4 over the stretch—Chicago is back home to face the Washington Wizards and the Dallas Mavericks.

And while Zach LaVine says the team always responds well when they face a deficit, at the same time, he understands that it's not a healthy place to be in all the time, especially when they end up losing.

"We play good when we're behind, and then we don't get over the hump, so we got to figure it out," said LaVine, who had a breakout 41-point performance in Sunday's loss to the Kings.

Zach with authority 🔨@ZachLaVine | @NBCSChicago pic.twitter.com/4mvD0wSkQa

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) December 5, 2022