Bulls move past tough call, beat Lakers without Wade
Dwyane Wade decided to sit out the second leg of the Bulls' back-to-back games in Los Angeles.
So instead of the twin finishers, Jimmy Butler had to fly solo on Sunday against the Lakers and delivered. Butler scored 40 points and the Bulls improved to 3-1 on the circus road trip with a 118-110 victory at Staples Center.
Butler was aggressive all night, hitting 14 of 23 shots from the field and 12 of 14 free throws to set a new season-high by 1 point. He also contributed 6 assists and 7 rebounds.
The Bulls had some nice scoring balance. Isaiah Canaan provided a nice spark off the bench with 17 points. Nikola Mirotic, who started in Wade's spot, produced 15 points and 15 rebounds. Taj Gibson also scored 15.
Rajon Rondo, listed as a game-time decision earlier in the day, dished out 12 assists. Rondo missed the first two games of the circus trip with a sprained left ankle, then returned Saturday against the Clippers.
The Bulls (9-5) opened the fourth quarter with a 9-2 run to build a 12-point lead and were able to hang on. After getting off to a good start, the Bulls had trouble keeping up with the Lakers' athletic young big men and fell behind by 10 points early in the second quarter, then rallied to lead 62-61 at halftime. Guard Lou Williams led the Lakers with 25 points.
While the Bulls picked up a quality win against the Lakers (7-7) playing short-handed, Saturday's 102-95 loss to the Clippers was still on everyone's mind. The Bulls could feel halfway vindicated about a controversial call late in that game.
Trailing by 2 points in the final minute, the Bulls needed a defensive stop and Butler bottled up Clippers forward Blake Griffin near the top of the key. Griffin was forced to take a tough fallaway jumper, Butler contested the shot aggressively and was called for a foul. Two free throws later, the game was essentially sealed.
The Bulls were beside themselves about the foul call and before the game ended, Gibson was hit with a technical foul and Fred Hoiberg was ejected after a single technical. The loss ended the Bulls' four-game win streak.
The NBA always releases a review of referees' calls in the final two minutes of close games the following day. Sunday's reported ruled Butler's foul a correct call, but also said Griffin should have been called for traveling seconds earlier, before he attempted the shot.
On video, Griffin switched pivot feet a few times as he tried to work against Butler, so the missed traveling was obvious. As untimely as it was, it's also tough to argue the shooting foul because Butler did make contact and probably should have backed off a bit.
"I thought Jimmy made a great defensive play," Hoiberg told reporters after the game, according to espn.com. "I thought Jimmy did a good job crawling up into him. I'll have to go back on film and look at it. Jimmy, I thought, battled him and made a heck of a play, but they gave him the call. You've got to respect it."
Gibson could be seen clapping at referee Marc Davis before getting a technical. Hoiberg took a couple steps onto the court and spread his arms, as if to ask, "What was that for?" and was asked to leave.
It was nearly a great performance for the Bulls. They led by 19 points in the second quarter against a Clippers squad that owns the NBA's best record at 12-2. Wade led the Bulls with 28 points, while Butler scored 22.
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