(670 The Score) While the third of his five dunks in the Bulls’ 114-108 win against the Nuggets on Friday sent his teammates and fans into a frenzy, Chicago forward Derrick Jones Jr. didn’t think much of it.
“In game, I ain’t even going to lie – that’s not even top 10,” Jones said. “I’ve got so many dunks. I’ve dunked on so many people in this league, so that’s not even top 10 for me right now.”
Because everyone can explode from the near stand-still of setting a screen in a half-court setting and then erupt for a dunk that was registered as a 9-foot field-goal attempt in the game play-by-play notes, right? That’s exactly what the 6-foot-5 Jones did with 4:53 left in the third quarter, and it left those around him astonished.
“That was ridiculous,” said Bulls star guard Zach LaVine, a two-time winner of the slam dunk contest who admitted he’d never seen anything quite like Jones’ slam in such a situation in the game. “He jumped from like right outside the dotted line with no dribble. You’re locked into the game, but it just takes you back when you see that.”
Jones’ highlight-reel dunk was a small part of another big effort from him. He had 16 points and eight rebounds while shooting 7-of-10 from the field in 23-plus minutes. Jones once again logged most of his minutes at center, a position he was recently thrust into as Bulls big man Nikola Vucevic landed in COVID-19 protocols. Jones’ emergency play at center has gone well enough that coach Billy Donovan envisions it remaining a weapon in the team’s small-ball arsenal moving forward, and it was instrumental in helping the Bulls go 3-2 on a tough West Coast road trip.
“I get to the rim fast,” said Jones, the NBA slam dunk champion in 2020. “I’m just trying to set screens and get to the rim as much as I can. Whenever they drive and my man helps, they dish it off and I just finish.”
Making the moment even better for Jones was that Chicago fans overtook much of Ball Arena on Friday with “Let’s go Bulls” chants, drowning out the home Denver Nuggets fans for long stretches. It marked Chicago's first win in Denver since 2006.
“It’s different when the away crowd is chanting ‘Let’s go Bulls,’” Jones said. “I’ve just never had that in my career. I’ve never gone into a city and that city is chanting for my team. That’s different.”
Cody Westerlund is a sports editor for 670TheScore.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.