|
 J.J. Redick scored 21 points on seven-of-11 shooting, hitting all
four of his three-pointers, Chris Paul had 19 and seven assists and
DeAndre Jordan added 17 points, 20 rebounds and four blocks for the
Clippers (32-16), who captured their fourth straight win.
Austin Rivers came off the bench to score 16 points, hitting five of
six from three-point range.
The Clippers' reserves outscored Chicago's 58-18. That effort comes
on the heels of Friday's performance, when the Clippers' bench
torched the Los Angeles Lakers' second unit 56-25.
"We were so down after that Toronto game because for a month that's
not who we've been," said Crawford, referring to a 112-94 loss Jan.
24 when the Raptors' backups held a 51-29 advantage over the
Clippers.
"We got our butts kicked that game (but) we've bounced back nicely
since then."
Jimmy Butler had 23 points and Derrick Rose contributed 20 points
for the Bulls (26-20), who have dropped four of their last six
games. Pau Gasol chipped in 15 points and 14 rebounds.
Rose said consistency has been the Bulls' biggest foe.
"It's the story of our year," said Rose, who made 10 of 17 shots and
grabbed five rebounds. "Like I said, if I could put a finger on it
... I watch a lot of basketball and the only thing I could think of
is the effort and sticking with the game plan."
A 12-4 Clippers surge to open the fourth quarter doomed the Bulls. A
three-pointer by backup forward Wesley Johnson, who had 11 points,
gave the Clippers a 95-77 cushion less than two minutes into the
period.
The Bulls were unable to reduce the lead to under double figures the
rest of the way.
"Really, our bench has been fantastic," Clippers coach Doc Rivers
said. "They are actually changing games and it's with their energy.
"I think early on, they thought it was going to be with their
offense and now they've realized that it is with their hands, with
their defense and their deflections."
Los Angeles also benefited from their three-point shooting to split
the season series with Chicago, who recorded an 83-80 win on Dec.
10.
[to top of second column] |
The Clippers connected on 17 of 32 three-pointers compared to five
of 15 for the Bulls. Overall, the Clippers made 53.6 percent of
their shots from the floor to 43 percent for the Bulls.
"It was a collective effort," said Paul, who hit eight of 16
field-goal attempts but missed three of four three-point attempts.
"Jamal went on a spree tonight. Our second unit was amazing, guys
were sharing the ball, but our defense was the key."
Los Angeles prevailed despite Chicago's 56-36 edge on points in the
paint.
The Clippers improved to 15-3 without injured forward Blake Griffin
(broken hand).
The Clippers took a 51-47 lead at the break. Crawford led all
scorers with 12 first-half points.
In the third quarter, the Clippers took control, building a 79-68
advantage after a dunk by Jordan with 1:53 remaining in the quarter.
The Bulls closed within 79-73 on a 3-pointer by Butler with 48.3
seconds left, but a three-pointer by Rivers and a jumper by Crawford
put Los Angeles up 84-73 heading into the final quarter.
"I wouldn't say a setback, but it hurts to lose a game like this,"
Rose said. "The good thing about it is we play (Monday). We go to
Utah and hopefully we get that win."
Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich returned after missing six games with a
left quad contusion. Hinrich was scoreless in 11 minutes.
(Editing by Peter Rutherford)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
