DeMar DeRozan trying to rally his troops as the Chicago Bulls’ losing skid reaches four games

DeMar DeRozan grew up in the tough neighborhood of Compton, California, and knows a thing or two about fighting adversity. So it's no surprise that as the Chicago Bulls suffered through a four-game losing streak, DeRozan is doing his best to rally his troops.

The need to battle

Not long after the Bulls took a 150-124 defeat at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves—a team that did not even have its starting frontcourt of Rudy Gobert and Karl Anthony-Towns—DeRozan likened his resolve to that of playing basketball at the park where one loss can lead to a long walk home.

"Like I grew up playing in the park where you want to go home with your ball. You want to fight and make sure you play with your ball and take your ball home. We gotta have that kind of attitude," said DeRozan.

"Until we buckle down and realize, like, we're leaving this park with our ball regardless, we gonna keep getting the same results. I'm tired of going home without a ball," the Bulls' forward added.

The Wolves indeed nabbed the Bulls' ball, so to speak, as they made it rain from beyond the arc, making 23 three-pointers, and got baskets at the rim whenever they wanted. In a season filled with disjointed defensive performances, Sunday's showing was arguably the worst as the Wolves notched season-high offensive numbers.

In tonight's 150-126 win over Chicago, the @Timberwolves set the following franchise records:

* Points (150)
* Field Goals Made (57)
* Effective FG Pct (.787)
* True Shooting Pct (.798)

Full list prior to tonight's game: pic.twitter.com/bbg47LmwEC
— Timberwolves PR (@Twolves_PR) December 19, 2022

Enough talk

The Bulls' shooting guard, Zach LaVine, expressed the need to get the team back on track following Sunday's loss, and he echoed DeRozan's sentiment that enough talk must be translated into action.

"We're going out here talking a lot. We've just got to stop talking and go out there and do it. We'll do it inconsistently, or consistently for one or two plays, but then won't do it again. So it's frustrating. It's frustrating for all of us. I know it's frustrating for the fans. It's embarrassing. We're all a little embarrassed about it," LaVine said.

"At the end of the day, you've got to look yourself in the mirror and be real about it and figure out how to come back and fight back," the two-time All-Star added.

Zach LaVine following the Bulls’ fourth-straight loss, which dropped them to 11-18: “It’s frustrating for all of us. I know it’s frustrating for the fans. It’s embarrassing. We’re all a little embarrassed about it.” pic.twitter.com/3eU6dniY4i
— Darnell Mayberry (@DarnellMayberry) December 19, 2022