# 2021–22 Chicago Bulls season

The 2021–22 Chicago Bulls season was the 56th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). After 5 straight non-winning record seasons, the Bulls looked to their off-season major acquisitions. They signed Lonzo Ball and traded for DeMar DeRozan. Highlights included DeRozan's back-to-back buzzer-beater game-winners, the first ever in NBA history, despite them happening on separate calendar years (The New Year's Eve Heave at Indianapolis and New Year's Day at DC). The Bulls had not made the playoffs since the 2016–17 season, but on April 5, 2022, following the loss of the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Orlando Magic, the Bulls clinched a playoff berth, ending their five-year playoff drought. The sixth-seeded Bulls fell to the third-seeded (and defending NBA champion) Milwaukee Bucks in the first round in five games.

## Draft picks

| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
| 2 | 38 | Ayo Dosunmu | PG | United States | Illinois |
The Bulls had a single pick in the draft.

## Standings
### Division

| Central Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
| y – Milwaukee Bucks | 51 | 31 | .622 | – | 27‍–‍14 | 24‍–‍17 | 12–4 | 82 |
| x – Chicago Bulls | 46 | 36 | .561 | 5.0 | 27‍–‍14 | 19‍–‍22 | 10–6 | 82 |
| pi − Cleveland Cavaliers | 44 | 38 | .537 | 7.0 | 25‍–‍16 | 19‍–‍22 | 10–6 | 82 |
| Indiana Pacers | 25 | 57 | .305 | 26.0 | 16‍–‍25 | 9‍–‍32 | 2–14 | 82 |
| Detroit Pistons | 23 | 59 | .280 | 28.0 | 13‍–‍28 | 10‍–‍31 | 6–10 | 82 |

### Conference

Eastern Conference :
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
| 1 | c – Miami Heat * | 53 | 29 | .646 | – | 82 |
| 2 | y – Boston Celtics * | 51 | 31 | .622 | 2.0 | 82 |
| 3 | y – Milwaukee Bucks * | 51 | 31 | .622 | 2.0 | 82 |
| 4 | x – Philadelphia 76ers | 51 | 31 | .622 | 2.0 | 82 |
| 5 | x – Toronto Raptors | 48 | 34 | .585 | 5.0 | 82 |
| 6 | x – Chicago Bulls | 46 | 36 | .561 | 7.0 | 82 |
| 7 | x − Brooklyn Nets | 44 | 38 | .537 | 9.0 | 82 |
| 8 | pi − Cleveland Cavaliers | 44 | 38 | .537 | 9.0 | 82 |
| 9 | x − Atlanta Hawks | 43 | 39 | .524 | 10.0 | 82 |
| 10 | pi − Charlotte Hornets | 43 | 39 | .524 | 10.0 | 82 |
| 11 | New York Knicks | 37 | 45 | .451 | 16.0 | 82 |
| 12 | Washington Wizards | 35 | 47 | .427 | 18.0 | 82 |
| 13 | Indiana Pacers | 25 | 57 | .305 | 28.0 | 82 |
| 14 | Detroit Pistons | 23 | 59 | .280 | 30.0 | 82 |
| 15 | Orlando Magic | 22 | 60 | .268 | 31.0 | 82 |
Notes
c – Clinched home court advantage for the conference; y – Clinched division title; x – Clinched playoff spot; pi – Clinched play-in tournament spot; * – Division leader

## Game log
### Preseason

2021 preseason game log Total: 4–0 (home: 3–0; road: 1–0) :
Preseason: 4–0 (home: 3–0; road: 1–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
1
October 5
Cleveland
W 131–95
Zach LaVine (25)
Alize Johnson (11)
Alex Caruso (10)
United Center 11,777
1–0
2
October 8
New Orleans
W 121–85
Zach LaVine (21)
Nikola Vučević (10)
Caruso, Johnson (5)
United Center 13,909
2–0
3
October 10
@ Cleveland
W 102–101
DeMar DeRozan (23)
Alize Johnson (11)
Alex Caruso (4)
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse 10,003
3–0
4
October 15
Memphis
W 118–105
Zach LaVine (31)
Nikola Vučević (8)
Ball, LaVine (6)
United Center 14,412
4–0 :
2021–22 season schedule :

### Regular season

2021–22 game log Total: 46–36 (home: 27–14; road: 19–22) :
October: 5–1 (home: 3–1; road: 2–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
1
October 20
@ Detroit
W 94–88
Zach LaVine (34)
Nikola Vučević (15)
Ball, LaVine, Vučević (4)
Little Caesars Arena 20,088
1–0
2
October 22
New Orleans
W 128–112
Zach LaVine (32)
Lonzo Ball (10)
Lonzo Ball (10)
United Center 20,995
2–0
3
October 23
Detroit
W 97–82
DeMar DeRozan (21)
Nikola Vučević (19)
DeMar DeRozan (6)
United Center 18,888
3–0
4
October 25
@ Toronto
W 111–108
DeMar DeRozan (26)
Nikola Vučević (8)
DeMar DeRozan (6)
Scotiabank Arena 19,800
4–0
5
October 28
New York
L 103–104
Zach LaVine (25)
Nikola Vučević (8)
Caruso, Vučević (6)
United Center 20,972
4–1
6
October 30
Utah
W 107–99
DeMar DeRozan (32)
Nikola Vučević (12)
Zach LaVine (5)
United Center 20,668
5–1 :
November: 9–7 (home: 4–3; road: 5–4)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
7
November 1
@ Boston
W 128–114
DeMar DeRozan (37)
Nikola Vučević (10)
Nikola Vučević (9)
TD Garden 19,156
6–1
8
November 3
@ Philadelphia
L 98–103
DeMar DeRozan (37)
DeRozan, Vučević (10)
Caruso, Vučević (6)
Wells Fargo Center 20,438
6–2
9
November 6
Philadelphia
L 105–114
Zach LaVine (32)
Nikola Vučević (11)
Lonzo Ball (5)
United Center 20,936
6–3
10
November 8
Brooklyn
W 118–95
DeMar DeRozan (28)
Nikola Vučević (13)
LaVine, Vučević (5)
United Center 19,459
7–3
11
November 10
Dallas
W 117–107
Zach LaVine (23)
Nikola Vučević (10)
Ball, DeRozan (6)
United Center 20,910
8–3
12
November 12
@ Golden State
L 93–119
Zach LaVine (23)
Alize Johnson (7)
Caruso, DeRozan (5)
Chase Center 18,064
8–4
13
November 14
@ LA Clippers
W 100–90
DeMar DeRozan (35)
Alex Caruso (9)
Caruso, DeRozan (5)
Staples Center 17,899
9–4
14
November 15
@ LA Lakers
W 121–103
DeMar DeRozan (38)
Tony Bradley (9)
Lonzo Ball (8)
Staples Center 18,997
10–4
15
November 17
@ Portland
L 107–112
Zach LaVine (30)
Alex Caruso (10)
Alex Caruso (9)
Moda Center 17,492
10–5
16
November 19
@ Denver
W 114–108
Zach LaVine (36)
Javonte Green (9)
Lonzo Ball (6)
Ball Arena 19,520
11–5
17
November 21
New York
W 109–103
DeMar DeRozan (31)
Javonte Green (9)
Ball, DeRozan (5)
United Center 21,813
12–5
18
November 22
Indiana
L 77–109
DeMar DeRozan (18)
Ball, Bradley, Brown Jr., Jones Jr., White (5)
LaVine, White (3)
United Center 21,586
12–6
19
November 24
@ Houston
L 113–118
Zach LaVine (28)
Nikola Vučević (13)
DeMar DeRozan (7)
Toyota Center 16,074
12–7
20
November 26
@ Orlando
W 123–88
DeMar DeRozan (23)
Green, Vučević (8)
Lonzo Ball (6)
Amway Center 18,236
13–7
21
November 27
Miami
L 104–107
DeMar DeRozan (28)
Nikola Vučević (13)
Ball, Caruso (6)
United Center 21,110
13–8
22
November 29
Charlotte
W 133–119
Nikola Vučević (30)
Nikola Vučević (14)
Lonzo Ball (8)
United Center 21,366
14–8 :
December: 9–2 (home: 5–0; road: 4–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
23
December 2
@ New York
W 119–115
DeMar DeRozan (34)
LaVine, Vučević (7)
Ball, Caruso (6)
Madison Square Garden 19,812
15–8
24
December 4
@ Brooklyn
W 111–107
Zach LaVine (31)
Lonzo Ball (9)
Lonzo Ball (7)
Barclays Center 18,116
16–8
25
December 6
Denver
W 109–97
Zach LaVine (32)
Ball, Vučević (10)
Dosunmu, LaVine (8)
United Center 21,236
17–8
26
December 8
@ Cleveland
L 92–115
Zach LaVine (23)
Nikola Vučević (12)
Zach LaVine (9)
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse 17,707
17–9
27
December 11
@ Miami
L 92–118
Zach LaVine (33)
Nikola Vučević (8)
Alex Caruso (5)
FTX Arena 19,731
17–10
PPD
December 14
Detroit
Postponed (COVID-19) (Makeup date: January 11)
PPD
December 16
@ Toronto
Postponed (COVID-19) (Makeup date: February 3)
28
December 19
LA Lakers
W 115–110
DeMar DeRozan (38)
Nikola Vučević (13)
DeMar DeRozan (6)
United Center 21,560
18–10
29
December 20
Houston
W 133–118
DeMar DeRozan (26)
Nikola Vučević (6)
Lonzo Ball (8)
United Center 21,150
19–10
PPD
December 22
Toronto
Postponed (COVID-19) (Makeup date: January 26)
30
December 26
Indiana
W 113–105
Zach LaVine (32)
Nikola Vučević (15)
Zach LaVine (5)
United Center 20,475
20–10
31
December 27
@ Atlanta
W 130–118
DeMar DeRozan (35)
Nikola Vučević (17)
DeMar DeRozan (10)
State Farm Arena 17,049
21–10
32
December 29
Atlanta
W 131–117
Zach LaVine (25)
Nikola Vučević (20)
Coby White (12)
United Center 21,372
22–10
33
December 31
@ Indiana
W 108–106
DeMar DeRozan (28)
Nikola Vučević (16)
DeMar DeRozan (6)
Gainbridge Fieldhouse 17,515
23–10 :
January: 8–8 (home: 6–2; road: 2–6)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
34
January 1
@ Washington
W 120–119
Zach LaVine (35)
Nikola Vučević (12)
DeRozan, White (5)
Capital One Arena 19,043
24–10
35
January 3
Orlando
W 102–98
DeMar DeRozan (29)
Nikola Vučević (17)
Lonzo Ball (7)
United Center 20,502
25–10
36
January 7
Washington
W 130–122
Zach LaVine (27)
Nikola Vučević (14)
DeMar DeRozan (8)
United Center 21,700
26–10
37
January 9
@ Dallas
L 99–113
DeRozan, LaVine (20)
Derrick Jones Jr. (8)
DeMar DeRozan (8)
American Airlines Center 20,041
26–11
38
January 11
Detroit
W 133–87
Nikola Vučević (22)
DeMar DeRozan (12)
DeRozan, LaVine (7)
United Center 19,886
27–11
39
January 12
Brooklyn
L 112–138
Zach LaVine (22)
Lonzo Ball (7)
Lonzo Ball (7)
United Center 21,698
27–12
40
January 14
Golden State
L 96–138
Coby White (20)
Nikola Vučević (14)
DeMar DeRozan (7)
United Center 21,174
27–13
41
January 15
@ Boston
L 112–114
Nikola Vučević (27)
DeMar DeRozan (8)
Ayo Dosunmu (10)
TD Garden 19,156
27–14
42
January 17
@ Memphis
L 106–119
DeMar DeRozan (24)
Dosunmu, Vučević (10)
Ayo Dosunmu (6)
FedExForum 17,794
27–15
43
January 19
Cleveland
W 117–104
DeMar DeRozan (30)
Nikola Vučević (12)
Ayo Dosunmu (8)
United Center 20,824
28–15
44
January 21
@ Milwaukee
L 90–94
DeMar DeRozan (35)
Nikola Vučević (11)
Ayo Dosunmu (6)
Fiserv Forum 18,013
28–16
45
January 23
@ Orlando
L 95–114
DeMar DeRozan (41)
Nikola Vučević (13)
DeRozan, Vučević (3)
Amway Center 18,846
28–17
46
January 24
@ Oklahoma City
W 111–110
Nikola Vučević (26)
Nikola Vučević (15)
Ayo Dosunmu (8)
Paycom Center 14,378
29–17
47
January 26
Toronto
W 111–105
DeMar DeRozan (29)
Nikola Vučević (15)
LaVine, Vučević (8)
United Center 20,269
30–17
48
January 28
@ San Antonio
L 122–131
DeMar DeRozan (32)
Nikola Vučević (8)
DeMar DeRozan (8)
AT&T Center 18,354
30–18
49
January 30
Portland
W 130–116
Nikola Vučević (24)
Nikola Vučević (14)
Ayo Dosunmu (11)
United Center 19,521
31–18 :
February: 8–5 (home: 6–3; road: 2–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
50
February 1
Orlando
W 126–115
DeMar DeRozan (29)
Nikola Vučević (13)
Ayo Dosunmu (9)
United Center 20,217
32–18
51
February 3
@ Toronto
L 120–127 (OT)
Nikola Vučević (30)
Nikola Vučević (18)
Ayo Dosunmu (8)
Scotiabank Arena 0
32–19
52
February 4
@ Indiana
W 122–115
Nikola Vučević (36)
Nikola Vučević (17)
Ayo Dosunmu (14)
Gainbridge Fieldhouse 16,355
33–19
53
February 6
Philadelphia
L 108–119
DeMar DeRozan (45)
DeMar DeRozan (9)
DeRozan, Dosunmu (7)
United Center 20,233
33–20
54
February 7
Phoenix
L 124–127
DeMar DeRozan (38)
Nikola Vučević (12)
Zach LaVine (8)
United Center 20,615
33–21
55
February 9
@ Charlotte
W 121–109
DeMar DeRozan (36)
Nikola Vučević (15)
Nikola Vučević (8)
Spectrum Center 19,099
34–21
56
February 11
Minnesota
W 134–122
DeMar DeRozan (35)
Nikola Vučević (8)
Ayo Dosunmu (10)
United Center 20,092
35–21
57
February 12
Oklahoma City
W 106–101
DeMar DeRozan (38)
Nikola Vučević (15)
Ayo Dosunmu (9)
United Center 20,072
36–21
58
February 14
San Antonio
W 120–109
DeMar DeRozan (40)
Nikola Vučević (16)
DeMar DeRozan (7)
United Center 21,153
37–21
59
February 16
Sacramento
W 125–118
DeMar DeRozan (38)
Nikola Vučević (10)
DeRozan, Dosunmu, White (6)
United Center 19,166
38–21
60
February 24
Atlanta
W 112–108
DeMar DeRozan (37)
Nikola Vučević (10)
DeRozan, Dosunmu, LaVine, Vučević (3)
United Center 21,236
39–21
61
February 26
Memphis
L 110–116
DeMar DeRozan (31)
Nikola Vučević (12)
Zach Lavine (6)
United Center 21,959
39–22
62
February 28
@ Miami
L 99–112
Zach LaVine (22)
DeRozan, Vučević (7)
Dosunmu, White (6)
FTX Arena 19,683
39–23 :
March: 6–9 (home: 3–1; road: 3–8)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
63
March 3
@ Atlanta
L 124–130
DeRozan, LaVine (22)
Nikola Vučević (11)
DeMar DeRozan (8)
State Farm Arena 17,522
39–24
64
March 4
Milwaukee
L 112–118
Zach LaVine (30)
Nikola Vučević (9)
Ayo Dosunmu (7)
United Center 21,259
39–25
65
March 7
@ Philadelphia
L 106–121
Zach LaVine (24)
DeMar DeRozan (11)
DeMar DeRozan (8)
Wells Fargo Center 20,381
39–26
66
March 9
@ Detroit
W 114–108
DeMar DeRozan (36)
DeMar DeRozan (8)
Ayo Dosunmu (7)
Little Caesars Arena 18,022
40–26
67
March 12
Cleveland
W 101–91
DeMar DeRozan (25)
Nikola Vučević (14)
Coby White (7)
United Center 21,727
41–26
68
March 14
@ Sacramento
L 103–112
Zach LaVine (27)
Nikola Vučević (10)
DeRozan, LaVine (6)
Golden 1 Center 15,943
41–27
69
March 16
@ Utah
L 110–125
Zach LaVine (33)
Nikola Vučević (11)
DeMar DeRozan (7)
Vivint Arena 18,306
41–28
70
March 18
@ Phoenix
L 102–129
DeMar DeRozan (19)
Green, Vučević (7)
Zach LaVine (9)
Footprint Center 17,071
41–29
71
March 21
Toronto
W 113–99
DeRozan, LaVine (26)
Nikola Vučević (13)
Caruso, Dosunmu, LaVine (6)
United Center 21,778
42–29
72
March 22
@ Milwaukee
L 98–126
Nikola Vučević (22)
Nikola Vučević (7)
Zach LaVine (7)
Fiserv Forum 17,983
42–30
73
March 24
@ New Orleans
L 109–126
Zach LaVine (39)
Nikola Vučević (9)
Coby White (6)
Smoothie King Center 13,973
42–31
74
March 26
@ Cleveland
W 98–94
Zach LaVine (25)
Nikola Vučević (9)
Alex Caruso (7)
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse 19,432
43–31
75
March 28
@ New York
L 104–109
DeMar DeRozan (37)
Nikola Vučević (13)
DeMar DeRozan (7)
Madison Square Garden 19,812
43–32
76
March 29
@ Washington
W 107–94
DeMar DeRozan (32)
DeRozan, Williams (7)
Ayo Dosunmu (6)
Capital One Arena 15,922
44–32
77
March 31
LA Clippers
W 135–130 (OT)
DeMar DeRozan (50)
Nikola Vučević (14)
Alex Caruso (7)
United Center 21,519
45–32 :
April: 1–4 (home: 0–4; road: 1–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
78
April 2
Miami
L 109–127
Zach LaVine (33)
Nikola Vučević (10)
Nikola Vučević (5)
United Center 21,697
45–33
79
April 5
Milwaukee
L 106–127
DeMar DeRozan (40)
Tristan Thompson (7)
Alex Caruso (8)
United Center 20,799
45–34
80
April 6
Boston
L 94–117
DeMar DeRozan (16)
Nikola Vučević (7)
DeMar DeRozan (5)
United Center 21,095
45–35
81
April 8
Charlotte
L 117–133
Zach LaVine (23)
Brown Jr., Vučević (5)
Zach LaVine (7)
United Center 21,461
45–36
82
April 10
@ Minnesota
W 124–120
Patrick Williams (35)
Troy Brown Jr. (11)
Ayo Dosunmu (6)
Target Center 17,136
46–36 :
2021–22 season schedule :

### Playoffs

2022 playoff game log Total: 1–4 (home: 0–2; road: 1–2) :
First Round: 1–4 (home: 0–2; road: 1–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceSeries
1
April 17
@ Milwaukee
L 86–93
Nikola Vučević (24)
Nikola Vučević (17)
DeMar DeRozan (6)
Fiserv Forum 17,717
0–1
2
April 20
@ Milwaukee
W 114–110
DeMar DeRozan (41)
Nikola Vučević (13)
Alex Caruso (10)
Fiserv Forum 17,688
1–1
3
April 22
Milwaukee
L 81–111
Nikola Vučević (19)
Coby White (8)
Dosunmu, LaVine (5)
United Center 22,667
1–2
4
April 24
Milwaukee
L 95–119
Zach LaVine (24)
Vučević, Williams (10)
Zach LaVine (13)
United Center 22,020
1–3
5
April 27
@ Milwaukee
L 100–116
Patrick Williams (23)
Nikola Vučević (16)
DeMar DeRozan (7)
Fiserv Forum 17,506
1–4 :
2022 playoff schedule :

## Player statistics

| Player | Pos. | GP | GS | MP | Reb. | Ast. | Stl. | Blk. | Pts. |
| Lonzo Ball | PG | 35 | 35 | 1,212 | 190 | 178 | 64 | 31 | 455 |
| Jordan Bell$^≠$ | C | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tony Bradley | C | 55 | 7 | 549 | 186 | 27 | 10 | 33 | 163 |
| Troy Brown Jr. | SF | 66 | 7 | 1,055 | 203 | 66 | 36 | 5 | 283 |
| Alex Caruso | PG | 41 | 18 | 1,147 | 148 | 165 | 71 | 15 | 304 |
| Tyler Cook | PF | 20 | 2 | 200 | 53 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 67 |
| DeMar DeRozan | SF | 76 | 76 | 2,743 | 392 | 374 | 68 | 24 | 2,118 |
| Ayo Dosunmu | G | 77 | 40 | 2,110 | 214 | 256 | 60 | 29 | 679 |
| Devon Dotson$^‡$ | PG | 11 | 0 | 85 | 9 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 29 |
| Javonte Green | SG/PG | 65 | 45 | 1,519 | 276 | 60 | 67 | 32 | 468 |
| Malcolm Hill$^≠$ | SG/SF | 16 | 0 | 166 | 29 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 55 |
| Alize Johnson$^‡$ | PF | 16 | 0 | 121 | 36 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 28 |
| Derrick Jones Jr. | SF | 51 | 8 | 899 | 169 | 30 | 25 | 33 | 286 |
| Zach LaVine | SG | 67 | 67 | 2,328 | 308 | 303 | 41 | 23 | 1,635 |
| Mac McClung$^≠$ | SG | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Alfonzo McKinnie$^≠$ | SF | 17 | 3 | 206 | 33 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 59 |
| Marko Simonović | C | 9 | 0 | 35 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 17 |
| Matt Thomas | SG | 40 | 0 | 459 | 50 | 20 | 8 | 3 | 161 |
| Tristan Thompson$^≠$ | C | 23 | 3 | 376 | 109 | 14 | 12 | 7 | 130 |
| Nikola Vučević | C | 73 | 73 | 2,418 | 804 | 236 | 70 | 71 | 1,288 |
| Coby White | PG | 61 | 17 | 1,675 | 182 | 176 | 29 | 11 | 772 |
| Patrick Williams | PF | 17 | 9 | 422 | 69 | 15 | 9 | 9 | 153 |
After all games. $^‡$Waived during the season $^†$Traded during the season $^≠$Acquired during the season