DeMar DeRozan continues to be a master of the mid-range craft, leading the NBA in mid-range field goals made (186)
While only 282 miles separates Chicago and Detroit by car, the longtime NBA rivals have traveled nearly 4,000 miles to Paris to face one another in the final NBA Global Game of the 2022-23 season. Here are five stats to know entering Thursday’s game at Accor Arena.
- Chicago won the first meeting of the season against Detroit — 132-118 at home on Dec. 30 — behind a season-high 43 points from LaVine on efficient shooting (15-for-20 from the field, 5-for-9 from 3-point range and 8-for-8 from the free throw line). It is one of just 12 games on record with a player scoring at least 40 points (43) with a true shooting percentage above 100% (103.1%).
- Chicago’s DeMar DeRozan continues his dominance of the mid-range game in his 14th season. DeRozan leads the NBA in mid-range field goals made (186) and attempted (387) as he connects on 48.1% of his mid-range shots, well above the league average of 41.5% shooting from that zone.
- Balancing DeRozan’s mid-range game is LaVine, who ranks 11th in 3-pointers made (3.0) as the Bulls are one of only three teams in the league with two top 25 scorers on the season (Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving and Boston’s Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are the others). The duo combines to average 50 points per game: DeRozan at 26.1 ppg (13th in the NBA) and LaVine at 23.9 ppg (20th).
Rookie Jaden Ivey leads all first-year players in assists (4.3 apg).
- Detroit starts two rookies in Jaden Ivey (the No. 5 pick in the draft) and Jalen Duren (No. 13 pick), who rank fourth and eighth, respectively, in this week’s Kia Rookie Ladder. Ivey leads all rookies in assists (4.3 apg), ranks third in scoring (15.1 ppg), fifth in 3-pointers made (58 on 32.4% shooting) and eighth in rebounding (4.1 rpg). Duren, who nearly missed the trip due to a lost passport, leads all rookies in rebounding (8.5 rpg), ranks fourth in blocks (0.7 bpg) and second in field goal percentage (63.4%).
- Detroit’s bench players score 35.8% of the total team points by averaging 40.1 ppg, which ranks fourth in the league in both categories. Chicago’s bench averages 31.0 ppg (23rd in the league) as the Bulls rely much more on their starting lineup, which ranks seventh in points per game (83.5 ppg) and percentage of points scored 72.9%.
