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Chicago Bulls frustrated after loss to Clippers

The Chicago Bulls are scheduled to just play just one team with a superior record during their “ice show” road trip.

That matchup happened Sunday afternoon, and the Bulls were clobbered by the Los Angeles Clippers 120-93 at the Staples Center.

The Bulls trailed by 6 points late in the third quarter, but the Clips hit 17 of 32 shots from 3-point range and former Bull Jamal Crawford poured in 26 points.

After the fourth-quarter fade was complete, the Bulls expressed plenty of frustration in the locker room.

“We're not disciplined; we're not,” Pau Gasol said, according to bulls.com. “That's it. It's true. That's a fact.”

There's no shame in losing to a better opponent. The Clippers (32-16) have gone 16-3 since Dec. 25, doing most of that with all-star forward Blake Griffin sidelined by injuries. But the Bulls (26-20) have delivered inconsistent efforts all season. Usually, they fare well against better competition.

“You've got to give them credit for spacing the floor well, getting to their spots, getting a rhythm, making shots,” Gasol said. “But you also have to ask yourself what we could have done differently to not let them get going.

“I think if we would have communicated better, gotten more into their bodies maybe we could have limited some of those 3-pointers. We're disciplined at times. The lack of consistency is very noticeable. It's nothing new.”

Another familiar story for the Bulls is a lack of help beyond the three main scorers. On Sunday, Jimmy Butler scored 23 points, Derrick Rose added 20, while Gasol finished with 15 points and 14 rebounds.

The Bulls finished with 18 points off the bench, but a big chunk of that arrived late.

The Clippers had three double-figure scorers off the bench. Besides Crawford, Austin Rivers scored 16 points and Wesley Johnson had 11. J.J. Redick led the starters with 21 points, while center DeAndre Jordan piled up 20 rebounds and 17 points.

Crawford and Redick combined to hit 18 of 26 shots from the field and went 6-for-7 from 3-point range.

“No grit, no toughness; closeouts were lackadaisical,” coach Fred Hoiberg told reporters after the game. “A lot of that is we didn't do a good job staying in front of the ball. They were able to kick it out for open shots.

“I've been saying this all year; I hate to sound like a broken record. We are a really good team when things are going well. We can go out there and play with a swagger and a confidence.

“But we lose that when things aren't going well. They scored 69 points in the second half. You're not beating anybody when that happens.”

The Bulls still have a long way to travel on their seven-game, 12-day trip. So far, they've split against the Los Angeles teams. The trek continues on Monday in Utah.

“We let guys do whatever they wanted out there,” Butler said. “I know we have to start winning; can't keep waiting. The time is now. No answers. I don't know why we do it.

“It's everybody, not one person more than the other. We all have to bring it from the jump. Continue to play the right way and start winning these games.

Giving up too many points in the first half has been a problem for the Bulls recently. In this game, the Clippers scored 51 points in the first half and 69 in the second. Even intentionally fouling Jordan backfired on the Bulls, as the free throw-challenged big man hit 5 of 8 attempts at the foul line.

Kirk Hinrich returned from missing six games with a thigh bruise. He went scoreless in 11 minutes. E'Twaun Moore got his third straight start at small forward and scored 10 points.

“If I could put a finger on it I swear I would,” Rose said. “I watch a lot of basketball and the only thing I can think of is just that effort and sticking with the game plan. … If we come out with the right effort we should be able to win any game we step on the floor.”

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