Bulls create their own bad luck in loss to Clippers
The Bulls continued to utilize lineup shuffles and spontaneous chemistry experiments, but there were outside forces helping push them toward another loss on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Rookie Lauri Markkanen was a late scratch due to back spasms. It was the third time he's missed games due to back issues, including a stretch in preseason.
During the final minute of the second quarter, both Zach LaVine and coach Fred Hoiberg got technical fouls for arguing the same no-call. LaVine drove to the basket, pulled it back for a dunk attempt and the shot was blocked from behind by Sindarius Thornwell.
That was the call on the floor, anyway. Video replays showed Thornwell got all wrist and no ball. Lou Williams ended up hitting 4 straight free throws, including the technicals, giving the Clippers a 62-60 edge at halftime and the Bulls never led again.
It wasn't a bad effort by the Bulls, but they finished on the short end of a 112-106 loss to the Clippers, who are locked in a tight race for the final playoffs spots in the West.
"We hung on against a team that's trying to battle for a playoff spot," Kris Dunn said. "I think that's a positive right there. No matter what the rotation is, we're going to play hard. We're going to keep fighting and keep learning."
The Clippers finished the night with a 41-15 advantage in free throw attempts. Only a few of those fouls were designed to put notoriously poor free-throw shooter DeAndre Jordan (29 points, 18 rebounds) on the line. He went 7-for-12. Williams added 26 points for the Clips.
Noah Vonleh filled in for Markkanen, which meant the Bulls' starting lineup included five guys playing together for the first time all season. Starting Vonleh kept Bobby Portis in his familiar role of coming off the bench and Portis played well, leading the Bulls with 19 points and 9 rebounds.
Vonleh, after a promising start when he joined the Bulls, went 0-for-5 from 3-point range Tuesday. Leaving him wide open was clearly part of the Clippers' game plan. LaVine also had a tough shooting night, going 3 of 13 for 10 points.
"We've got to find a way to get better shots," Hoiberg said. "Too many times, the possession is ending in a tough, contested jump shot. We've got to find a way, when we get into the paint downhill, to make the right play out there."
Center Robin Lopez continued his routine of playing the entire first quarter, then never again. He scored 12 points and hit 6 of 8 shots in that opening 12 minutes. Justin Holiday was in uniform, but did not play for the second straight contest.
The Bulls (23-44) finished with six players scoring in double figures. Dunn added 18 points and David Nwaba scored 15.
Markkanen developed his back soreness less than 90 minutes before tipoff. He's now missed seven games on the season.
"Lauri's day-to-day. He's had some pain in his back the last couple days," Hoiberg said. "He felt really good this morning at shootaround. He was ready to go tonight, then when he was getting activated in the weight room before the game, he felt the pain again and we felt the best decision was to sit him out.
Twitter: @McGrawDHBulls