Clippers halt Bulls' winning streak at seven
It was a strange scene at the end of Saturday's Bulls-Clippers contest.
After trailing most of the night, the Bulls had a chance to rescue the game and force overtime when Derrick Rose drove to the basket and was fouled with 0.8 seconds on the clock and the home team trailing by 2.
Fans at the United Center could be heard shushing each other as Rose stepped to the line for the dramatic free throws. Rose made the first amid the silence but missed the second shot and the Bulls lost 100-99.
Playing for the first time without injured center Joakim Noah, the Bulls saw their seven-game winning streak come to an end, while Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro gained a little payback against the team that fired him.
Inside the locker room, Rose seemed more determined than disappointed. The third-year guard finished with 34 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds.
“That's basketball. I hope I get put in that position again,” Rose said. “I know I'm not going to miss them.”
After starting 0-11 away from home, Del Negro and the Clippers captured their second straight road victory. They beat Detroit on Friday. Rookie Blake Griffin punished the Bulls for 29 points and 12 rebounds, while creating plenty of foul trouble.
“Obviously, this one's a little more special just because it's Chicago,” Del Negro said. “We need all the luck we can get right now and we were fortunate a little bit at the end.”
The Bulls (16-9) squandered this game long before Rose missed the final free throw. They led after the first quarter but seemed to be climbing out of a ditch most of the night after falling behind 20-11 at the start.
Noah, the Bulls most valuable defensive player, watched from the sideline, his injured right thumb encased in a cast. Taj Gibson stepped in as the starting center but played just five minutes in the first half because he picked up 3 fouls.
In the third quarter, Gibson went to the ground after a collision with Griffin and was holding his head. He played for a few more minutes but eventually left with a concussion.
In the first half, the Clippers (7-21) piled up 61 points and shot 61 percent from the field.
“I didn't like any aspect of our defense because I thought we didn't come out with the right intensity to start the game,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. “In this league, you've got to come ready to play every night, and if you don't, you're asking for trouble.
“We came out with the wrong mind-set and we didn't establish ourselves defensively, we didn't establish ourselves rebounding-wise. Took a lot of shortcuts, did a lot of reaching. You do that, you're not going to win.”
In the first half, Thibodeau used rookie Omer Asik at center for 18 minutes. Down the stretch, he tried veteran Kurt Thomas. Obviously, neither came close to replicating what Noah brings.
“We were searching,” Thibodeau said. “I was confident in Kurt's low-post defense and wanted to give Griffin a different look. He was having his way with us. We were so flat, we were looking for any kind of spark we could get.”
Mike McGraw's game tracker
Clippers 100, Bulls 99
Down to the final miss: The Bulls fought an uphill battle all night and finally lost by 1 when Derrick Rose missed the second of 2 free throws with 0.8 seconds on the clock. The Bulls trailed 100-93 with 42.5 seconds left.
Doughnut-hole defense: The first game without injured center Joakim Noah didn't go so well. Taj Gibson was in foul trouble, then suffered a concussion. The Clippers, meanwhile, shot 61 percent from the field in the first half.
Griffin delivers: After rookie Blake Griffin finished with 29 points and 12 rebounds, Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said, “I like Blake vs. anybody. He is so athletic and strong it's difficult for anybody to stay with him.”