NBA star DeMar DeRozan has his daughter to thank for being the secret weapon in Chicago’s win against the Toronto Raptors.
The Bulls overcame a 19-point deficit to take home the game with a 109-105 win and became the first 10th-placed team to win an NBA play-in-game.
While it was a stellar comeback from the Chicago side, it may not have come together without a certain outside interference.
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The daughter of DeRozan became the star of the show as the Bulls rallied on to advance to the final play-in game against the Miami Heat.
The Raptors definitely struggled at the free-throw line with a 50 per cent conversion rate.
Which is likely in thanks to Diar DeRozan’s persistent and ear-piercing screams every time they stepped up to take the shot.
It all started when centre Jakob Poeltl stepped up to shoot, with audio capturing an absolutely mammoth scream coming from the crowd.
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Poeltl was able to shake off the jeers on that occasion, but the young girl was consistent throughout the game with her strategy eventually paying off.
Viewers were caught off guard by the screams, but ESPN eventually went and confirmed that it was DeRozan’s daughter in the third quarter.
The Raptors shot 8 of 14 in the first half when Diar was sitting directly behind the basket they were aiming at.
And her yells were no subdued when they were at the other end of the court with Toronto landing just 10 of 22 on the opposite basket.
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Ultimately, the game came down to missed free throw attempts for the Raptors.
They had the chance to even the scores late into the game while trailing 107-104 and being awarded three free throws after a shooting foul on a 3-point attempt with 12 seconds remaining.
Alex Caruso stepped up, converting the first, but missing the next two.
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Diar could be heard screaming throughout each attempt.
DeRozan was asked about his daughter following the game, admitting that she helped the team take home the game.
He said: “I kept looking hearing something during the game.
"It was one free throw that somebody missed. I was like 'damn, that's my daughter screaming?' I was just making sure she was all right, though."
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And she almost wasn’t even allowed to be at the game because of her father.
He added: "I almost said no because she's in school back home.
"She kept asking, she was just adamant about coming to support. I just said 'all right, you can miss one day of school and come to a game.' I'm glad I did. I owe her money for sure."
Diar DeRozan - the Chicago Bulls MVP.
Featured Image Credit: ESPN/Twitter.Topics: NBA, Basketball, US Sports
