|
 Weird, but good.
"It's a little bit emotional," Gasol said. "But once you lock in,
you focus on what you need to do on the floor. You focus on playing
well and helping your team win."
Gasol did exactly that by scoring 23 points with 13 rebounds as the
Bulls cruised to a 113-93 win against the Lakers on Thursday night.
He headed to the Los Angeles bench after the final buzzer to
exchange hugs and handshakes with former teammates he left last
summer to sign a 3-year contract with Chicago.
Guard Jimmy Butler added 21 points for the Bulls (20-9), who
extended their winning streak to five games. Guard Derrick Rose
scored 20 points with six assists in nearly 32 minutes.
The Lakers (9-20) lost for the fourth time in five games and
stumbled to 5-10 on the road. They played the second consecutive
game without guard Kobe Bryant, who sat out because of soreness.
So much for the talk about the Lakers playing better without Bryant
in the lineup. Some observers suggested as much after the Lakers
rolled to a double-digit win against Golden State without Bryant on
Tuesday.
 "I just say those people are idiots," Lakers coach Byron Scott said.
"He is one of the best to ever have played the game. When you take
him off the team, you are going to have nights where you struggle."
Forward Wesley Johnson led Los Angeles with 19 points. Center Jordan
Hill added 16 points for the Lakers, who trimmed the deficit to two
points in the third quarter before the Bulls pulled away by
outscoring Los Angeles 30-16 in the fourth quarter.
Chicago's depth was on display once again as bench players combined
for 39 points on 15-for-31 shooting. Forward Nikola Mirotic and
guard Aaron Brooks each scored 13 points off the bench.
"It is great for us, and we have great versatility," Bulls coach Tom
Thibodeau said. "We can mix and match Aaron and Derrick to give us a
different look. All our bigs can play with each other. There are a
lot of different things we can go to."
Scott said the Bulls' 57-39 edge in rebounds proved costly for the
Lakers. Chicago pulled down 20 offensive rebounds, including eight
from Gasol and six from center Joakim Noah.
"They're a long, aggressive rebounding team," Scott said. "If you
don't do your work early and block them out, you make it a jumping
contest, and you're going to lose that nine out of 10 times."
[to top of second column] |
Butler made a turnaround jump shot in the final seconds of the first
half to give the Bulls a 58-47 lead at the break. Chicago led by as
many as 16 points in the second quarter after a 23-8 run that
included a pair of 3-pointers from Mirotic.
The Bulls led 27-24 at the end of the first quarter thanks to seven
points apiece from Rose and Butler. Rose energized a sellout crowd
of 22,865 fans by making each of Chicago's first three shots
including a pull-up jump shot, a floating jump shot and a 3-pointer
from the wing.
Gasol said Rose's determined start opened space for other players on
offense.
"Every time Derrick is aggressive or Jimmy is aggressive, the
defense has to react," Gasol said.
Bryant wore a black shirt and red blazer as he watched the game from
the end of the Lakers' bench. The 36-year-old forward acknowledged
before the game that his back was tight, his knees were sore and his
Achilles tendons felt sore as he endured the rigors of his 19th NBA
season.
Lakers guard Wayne Ellington started in place of Bryant.
"We have to come together as a team, collectively, step our game
up," Ellington said. "That's all it takes."
NOTES: Lakers G Kobe Bryant missed his second consecutive game
because of soreness. Bryant, 36, said the odds were slim that he
would play in the Lakers' next game, Friday night in Dallas against
the Mavericks. ... Bulls G Kirk Hinrich missed his second game in a
row due to a strained left hamstring. ... Lakers coach Byron Scott
said F Carlos Boozer deserves credit for embracing his recent role
as a bench contributor. "Since we made the switch, he's been much
better on both ends of the floor," Scott said. ... Bulls F Doug
McDermott missed his 10th consecutive game because of a right knee
injury. ... Bryant ranked No. 2 among Western Conference guards in
All-Star voting, the league announced Thursday. Golden State G
Stephen Curry led Bryant by less than 30,000 votes.
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