Bulls can't hold early lead, fall to Clippers
The Bulls won twice when Rajon Rondo sat out with a sprained left ankle and Jerian Grant started in his place.
Rondo returned to the lineup Saturday and made himself right at home.
The Bulls got off to a fast start against the Los Angeles Clippers, who started the day with the NBA's best record.
The Bulls led by 19 points in the second quarter, but couldn't hold on. Trailing by 2 in the final minute, the Bulls didn't get a call they were looking for, tacked on some late technical fouls and lost 102-95 to snap a four-game winning streak.
Dwyane Wade led the Bulls with 28 points, hitting 5 of 9 shots from 3-point range. Jimmy Butler added 22 points, while Blake Griffin led the Clippers with 26.
Isaiah Canaan hit a big 3-pointer to bring the Bulls within 97-95 with 44.7 seconds left. Needing a defensive stop, the Bulls almost got it when Butler bottled up Griffin near the top of the key. Griffin had to take a long turnaround jumper, but Butler aggressively challenged the shot and was called for a foul as the Bulls vehemently protested.
Griffin hit both free throws to make it 99-95 with 20.8 seconds on the clock. Wade missed a 3-pointer and that was it. In the next few seconds, Taj Gibson got a technical foul and Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg was ejected. It wasn't clear why they were upset, but the foul call on Butler was surely fresh on their minds.
After falling behind by 19, the Clippers (12-2) closed within 5 points by halftime, but didn't catch the Bulls until Marreese Speights dropped in 2 free throws to make it 82-82 with 7:30 remaining. Raymond Felton's driving layin on the next trip put the Clippers ahead.
The teams went back and forth for a few minutes before Jamal Crawford's 3-pointer gave the Clippers some breathing room at 92-87 with 3:14 left.
The Bulls (8-5) got back into it when Wade hit a pair of free throws and Chris Paul was nailed with a technical for arguing the foul call, making it a 2-point game with 2:49 remaining.
Griffin drive and Paul free throw sent the Clippers ahead 95-90. The Bulls settled for too many long jumpers, but Butler finally got to the line and trimmed the deficit to 3 with 1:14 left.
On the Clippers' next possession, Crawford missed a 3-point shot, but two Bulls couldn't corral the rebound and Speights found Crawford for a reverse layin to make it 97-92.
Bench performance is an area where the Clippers have improved this season. Speights, the former Golden State backup, scored 16 points. The Bulls' bench managed just 15 points while hitting 5 of 18 shots.
Rondo was on the shelf when the circus trip began and Grant looked like a starting-caliber point guard in the blowout win at Portland. Two days later in Utah, the Bulls won again, but it was easily the lowest-scoring game of the season, an 85-77 victory.
"Against Utah, our pace just wasn't the same," Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg told reporters before the contest. "We weren't getting any easy baskets. That's what Rajon gives this team is that initial burst up the floor. He's done a nice job this year of throwing the ball ahead, getting the ball to our wings where we can attack or get the ball into the post and cut off Taj (Gibson) or Robin (Lopez). He'll be welcomed back."
When the Bulls jumped to a 19-9 lead Saturday, Rondo hit a corner 3-pointer off a drive and dish from Butler. Outside shooting was the one phase of the game where Grant seems to have an edge over Rondo.
The first quarter performance was nearly flawless. The Bulls shot 68 percent from the field, dished out 8 assists, while all five starters scored at least 4 points.
Butler hit a long jumper at the buzzer to give the Bulls a 33-23 lead after one quarter. They continued to roll early in the second, as Wade hit 2 of his 4 first-half baskets from 3-point range to send the Bulls ahead 45-26.
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Bulls game day
Bulls vs. Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center, 8:30 p.m.
TV: Comcast SportsNet
Radio: WLS 890-AM
Outlook: Considering how many young players are in the lineup, the Lakers (7-6) qualify as one of the bigger surprises in the NBA so far. Second-year PG D'Angelo Russell is the top scorer at 16.8 ppg, but he missed Friday's loss to San Antonio with knee soreness and his status is unclear for this game. The next two leading scorers come off the bench, SG Lou Williams (16.2 ppg) and PG Jordan Clarkson (15.4). Third-year PF Julius Randle is at 14.1 points and 8.7 rebounds. Ex-Bull Luol Deng (6.7 ppg) is starting at small forward. The Lakers are No. 2 in the league, behind Golden State, in scoring at 109.8 points per game. The Bulls swept the Lakers last season.
Next: Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center on Tuesday, 8 p.m.
- Mike McGraw