Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan may be missing their high-flying, All-Star power forward Blake Griffin, but the reigning All-NBA 1st team point guard and top Defensive Player of the Year candidate have been picking up the slack. Paul has managed to utilize the rest of L.A.'s talent, averaging 12.5 assists per game in the absence of Griffin. Meanwhile, Jordan instantly gave the Clippers a spark by hauling in a season-high 27 rebounds and 22 points in a 115-98 win over the Dallas Mavericks after Blake was ruled out.

For the Bulls, Derrick Rose is, sadly, injured once again. With a torn meniscus, he could be out for some time, so the sure-fire Most Improved Player of the Year, Jimmy Butler, and star big men Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah will hope to keep Chicago (37-22) on track as they hold onto the #2 seed in the Eastern Conference.

The first half began with the Clippers storming ahead. They took a 26-18 lead from Jordan's dominating presence inside with nine rebounds and Paul keeping a smooth tempo, to go along with eight points. Even though Nikola Mirotic looked assertive and confident with his shot (tallying eight points after the first), the Bulls could not handle Jordan's tenacity and athleticism inside.

Except for a 6-0 to start the second from the Bulls (ending with a jam from Mirotic), L.A. kept playing strong. Jordan continued to bully Chicago's big men beyond belief, and at the half he had more rebounds (17) than the entire Bulls' starting five (16).

Despite the offensive talent in the game, both teams could not do any better than converting 40% of their shots. The Clippers were able to push the pace with 11 fast break points, but they relied on their rebounding to stay in front after finishing the half with just a 38.8 field goal percentage.

The Bulls brought it back, but behind Jordan's aggressiveness the Clippers held onto a 43-41 lead.

During the third, CP3 began to catch fire. With Jordan to help provide some space off high-screens, Paul kept pulling up from range and knocking down jumpers. He also dished out a flurry of assists (finishing the quarter with 11).

Paul's and Jordan's efforts were met by the team effort of the Bulls, though. With a sudden 10 points from Tony Snell in the third and continuous visits to the free throw line (18 of 24 from the line after three), Chicago tied the game up to finish the quarter at 69-69. The Bulls, though, came out of the quarter far worse off after losing Butler due to a left elbow sprain.

The game was still a close contest in the fourth as the Clippers were ahead by only four points with five minutes to go. Rookie sensation Nikola Mirotic was having none of it, though. In a span of just 1:10, he scored eight points. Talk about a star in the making; he has shown off agility, rebounding, awareness, and even the shooting ability of a young Dirk.

Mirotic's efforts aside (who finished with 29 points and 5 threes), the Bulls struggled to keep up with the shooting of Paul and Jamal Crawford down the stretch. Paul buried some clutch free throws with just over two minutes to go, and Crawford was even sinking double-clutch jumpers to help increase the Clippers' lead to 10 as the game entered the final two minutes.

Ultimately, the Clippers back-court duo of Paul and Crawford (who found his inner DeAndre and blocked Gasol), combined with the terror of Jordan in the paint, proved too much for the Bulls. Paul finished with 28 points and 12 assists; Crawford added 16, including some clutch points down the stretch, which was enough to sink the Mirotic-led Bulls 96-86.

Jordan powered them all along the way, though, and after finishing with 26 rebounds, he has averaged 20.5 over his last eight performances. If that is not enough to put him near the top of the conversation for Defensive Player of the Year, then there really is nomore he can do.

The Clippers now go on to face the Minnesota Timberwolves and have proven once again that despite having no Blake Griffin, they are not going down without a fight.