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3 takeaways from the Chicago Bulls' 126-108 win over the Detroit Pistons in Paris

The Bulls capped off their trip to Paris with a hard-earned win.
Stephen Beslic|
3 takeaways from the Chicago Bulls' 126-108 win over the Detroit Pistons in Paris
3 takeaways from the Chicago Bulls' 126-108 win over the Detroit Pistons in Paris

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It was a regular season game with all the makings of an All-Star event. NBA legends, F1 stars, and the presumptive top pick of the 2023 NBA Draft, Victor Wembanyama, were all in attendance to witness the Chicago Bulls' rout of the Detroit Pistons, 126-108, at the Accor Arena in Paris, France. Here are three takeaways from the historic game.

DeMar DeRozan returns

Sidelined for the last three games due to a quad injury, Chicago Bulls star DeMar DeRozan made his much-awaited return to the lineup and had 26 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Looking agile and playing aggressively all game long, DeRozan gave the fans a lot to cheer for including this vicious one-handed slam.

"It was amazing. One of those games I'll look back on years down the line and think about how great it was. It was a beautiful atmosphere and a privilege to be here and be part of this whole thing," said DeRozan.

Scoring contributions

At times, the Bulls can get overly reliant on any of their marquee players. On this night, though, the Bulls got double-figure scoring from seven players, led by Zach LaVine's 30 points. Nikola Vucevic added 16 points and 15 rebounds. Other double digit scorers were Ayo Dosunmu with 13, Derrick Jones Jr. with 12 while Patrick Williams and Coby White each added 10.

Guard Alex Caruso said that after a sluggish start, the team is meshing well together, all thanks to the efforts of the coaching staff.

"I think we're a really good team," Caruso said. "Last year, it was us figuring out the best version of ourselves, how to coincide, how to work through the different talents that we have on the team, and then mixing it all together. And I think the coaching staff has done a good job of putting us in positions to do that."

Derrick Jones Jr. puts on an aerial show

Derrick Jones Jr. has had quite the week. Days after getting engaged to his girlfriend Shakara at a private team event, the former slam dunk champion left Paris with a parting gift: an aerial display they won't soon forget. Jones hammered home four highlight dunks, each one more jaw-dropping than the previous one.

The Bulls fly back to Chicago and will take on Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday at the United Center.

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Stephen Beslic
STEPHEN BESLIC

Stephen Beslic is a writer on Sports Illustrated's FanNation Network. Stephen played basketball from the age of 10 and graduated from Faculty of Economic and Business in Zagreb, Croatia, majoring in Marketing.

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