It was a big performance from the Chicago Bulls as they cruised to an easy victory against a young Los Angeles Lakers team.
Bulls Trio Goes Off, Defense Causes Havoc
It was an emotional return to the Staples Center for Pau Gasol as he returned to the place where he played for six years and won two titles. Gasol started off on the right foot as the Bulls quickly jumped out to a double digit lead. Without Lou Williams, the Lakers bench lacked a pop and when the starters took a rest the Bulls took off. Chicago jumped out a 30-12 lead and took an early stranglehold on the game. At the end of the first it was the Bulls having a 32-15 lead. Jimmy Butler led the Bulls in scoring with eight points and Gasol also had six points and seven rebounds.
The Bulls continued their hot shooting as they shot over 50 percent in the first half. Derrick Rose, who was doubtful to play tonight, had a great second quarter as he had 10 points in the first half. It has been a quite a run of games for Derrick Rose as he has been playing better since Christmas. Rose kept attacking the basket and forcing the issue for Chicago. Meanwhile, Kobe Bryant, whose availability was also in doubt heading into this game, struggled in the first half. Bryant shot 2-of-7 from the field as the Lakers struggled from the field as a whole. It was a dominating half for the Bulls as they led Los Angeles, 58-40.
Chicago's big three all showed up in the first half. Butler led the way for Chicago with 17 points in the half. He played great defense and found himself open on a lot of shots. The same could be said about Gasol, who found himself open for a lot of mid-range jumpers in the first half. Rose was attacking the basket and playing like the MVP of old.
Bulls See Out The Win
It was more of the same in the third quarter as the Bulls continued to dominate the game. The only problem for the Bulls was that E'Twaun Moore took an inadvertent elbow from Taj Gibson and had to leave the game with a bloody nose. Other than that, it was a very easy quarter for the Bulls as they took a 90-71 lead into fourth quarter.
With the starters on the bench, it looked like Chicago was going to cruise in the fourth quarter from the onset. But the Lakers were able to cut into the lead with an 8-0 run to start the quarter. Right after that, Fred Hoiberg brought back Derrick Rose to try and restore order for the Bulls. It seemed to work as the Bulls had a double digit lead for the rest of the game. With around six minutes left, Hoiberg put back in his starters to finish off the Lakers and that's exactly what they did. He then took them out with a 21-point lead as a lot of Bulls subs got a lot of playing time to finish out the game.
In the end, it was a 114-91 victory for the Bulls.
Top Performers
Jimmy Butler led the way for the Bulls with a 26 point, 10 assist, and five rebound performance for Chicago. Pau Gasol had a near triple-double with 21 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists. Derrick Rose added 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while Doug McDermott came off the bench with 15 points.
The Lakers were led by Julius Randle who had 14 points, eight rebounds, and a block. Jordan Clarkson added 16 points and four assists. Kobe Bryant scored 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting in 25 minutes of play.
What's Next?
The Bulls will face the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.
The Lakers will look to bounce back against the Clippers in a Friday night showdown.