Chicago Bulls fall to Clippers 101-91: Recap, Highlights and More

The Chicago Bulls played well in the first half and fell short in the second half to lose to the Clippers 101-91.

With Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant in attendance, the Chicago Bulls took on the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night. This was the second game of a back-to-back for the Clippers.

The first quarter ended with the Bulls up 29-23. Rajon Rondo’s fancy pass to Cristiano Felicio for a dunk ended the first quarter with a bang. Robin Lopez and Bobby Portis did a good job not letting the Clippers grab offensive rebounds.

The Bulls opened the second quarter with a 9-0 run and kept getting open shots due to the Clippers inability to get back in transition. This could be due to the Bulls being the second game of back to back games for the Clippers. Both second units provided sparks for both teams but the Bulls kept a leading of 61-55 going into halftime.

Rajon Rondo finished the half 6 assists and Bobby Portis continues his hot streak since the All-Star finishing with 9 points, 6 rebounds and an efficient 4-7 from the field.

Related Story: Denzel Valentine: Showing the Bulls What They Have Been Missing

J.J Reddick and Chris Paul gave the Bulls some difficulties in the first half. Reddick finished the half with 13 points and 6-10 from the field. Paul broke down the defense with 4 assists and 12 points.

The Bulls came out flat at the start of the 3rd quarter which seems to be a common theme this season. The Clippers dominated the scoring 27 points to the Bulls 12. The Bulls only converted 3 field goals to six turnovers. The Clippers ended the 3rd quarter up 82-73.

The fourth quarter was similar to the third. The Clippers came out with energy and got many easy looks at the basket. The Bulls defense lacked interest and the offense became stagnant. The free-flowing offense from the first half turned into one on one isolation plays that did not provide baskets.

Highlights

Three stars

1. Jamal Crawford: Crawford provided a huge spark for the Clippers. He made some tough shots as he always tends to do. He finished with 25 points off the bench.

2. Chris Paul: Chris Paul orchestrated the offense well. A healthy Paul makes the Clippers one of the most dangerous threats to the Warriors in the Western Conference. He finished with 17 points and 4 assists

3. J.J. Reddick: J.J Reddick was guarded by Jimmy Butler for most of the game. Reddick tired Butler out to a tune of 13 points and 6-12 from the field.

Next game

The Chicago Bulls travel to Detroit to take on the Pistons while the Clippers will head home to Los Angeles and play the Boston Celtics.