Clippers edge past Chicago Bulls 100-99
The Los Angeles Clippers picked up their second road win of the season, when they edged past the Chicago Bulls 100-99 at United Centre.
The Clippers protected the ball well, and had a brilliant game defensively. They were alert in attack too and took full advantage of their opportunities. With less than a second left, Bulls guard Derrick Rose was confident he would make both free throws, but unfortunately he missed the second free throws which would have sent the game into overtime.
Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro said after the game, “You never want to see that. Derrick is a tough kid. He's made so many and he'll make so many more in his career - free throws, big shots. The game should have never come down to that.”
Blake Griffin scored a team-high 29 points and 12 rebounds for his 15th straight double-double to lead the Clippers to just their seventh win this season. Baron Davis (16 points), Eric Gordon (15 points), Craig Smith (13 points), and Rasual Butler (11 points) joined Griffin in double figures to snap Chicago's seven-game winning streak.
Despite his free-throw miss in the dying minutes of the game, Derrick Rose led the Bulls with a game-high 34 points. Carlos Boozer posted 25 points and four rebounds, while Luol Deng contributed 17 points for the Bulls in the defeat.
Story of the Game
The visiting team presented the hosts with an excellent opportunity to tie the game in the final few seconds, but unfortunately the Bulls were unable to avail the opportunity. The Bulls also found it difficult to defend against the Clippers players, especially Blake Griffin.
Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Clippers began the game at a crisp pace. The first quarter could be dubbed as the battle of the forwards, as Boozer and Griffin tried to outscore each other. Boozer scored 11 and Griffin had 10. However the Bulls managed to take a three point lead by the end of first quarter, 31-28.
In the second quarter the Clippers found their rhythm offensively, and clawed their way back into the game. Rasual Butler scored 11 points off the bench to lead the Clippers to a 61-53 advantage halftime.
The third quarter revolved around Chicago’s Derrick Rose, who scored 15 of his 23 points in 12 minutes. However it was not enough to cut the Clippers deficit, as the teams ended the quarter at 83-76.
With over a minute to go until the final buzzer, Davis' driving lay-up extended the Clippers lead to eight points at 99-91. Boozer's lay-up then cut the Clippers lead to six. Nevertheless, Rose brought the Bulls into the game with a fantastic three-point play, and then fed Carlos Boozer for a lay-up to make it a two-point game.
Rose took the ball to the basket between two clippers players and was fouled by Butler just at the buzzer. The officials at United Centre checked a replay to make sure he was fouled before the buzzer.
Clippers coach said Del Negro told reporters after the game, "All the wins are great. Obviously this one is a little bit more special just because it's Chicago. The credit goes to our players. It's a back-to-back game for us; I thought they had great effort."
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