Chicago Bulls at LA Clippers

DeRozan, LaVine in double digits, Bulls end Clippers' streak

Lonzo Ball had 10 points for the Bulls, who used generous amounts of Los Angeles-area talent to earn the victory. DeRozan is a LA native who went to USC, while LaVine and Ball attended UCLA.

“We battled and fought,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said after his team held the Clippers to 35.8% from the field and 32.4% from 3-point range. “Everybody who went in there helped. It was a game where everyone went small. So yeah, I was happy with the way we played defense.”

Paul George scored 27 points and had 11 rebounds for the Clippers, while Eric Bledsoe added 21 points. Los Angeles lost for the first time since Oct. 29 at Portland.

George and Reggie Jackson, who lead the Clippers with more than eight 3-point attempts per game, were a combined 5 of 21 from distance. Jackson scored 13 points while going 4 of 17 from the field.

“Couldn’t make shots, couldn’t get them to fall,” George said. “A lot of in and outs, lot of good looks, just wasn’t my night shooting.”

The Bulls’ Alex Caruso, a former Laker who is in his first season in Chicago, scored just seven points but had nine rebounds and helped thwart the Clippers’ long-distance shooters over a team-high 39 minutes.

“He’s one of the highest IQ players I’ve played with,” DeRozan said about Caruso. “It makes life so much easier for us when he’s out there.”

Chicago is 1-1 to open a five-game trip that includes a visit to the Lakers on Monday.

The Bulls had a double-digit lead less than five minutes into the game and had a 17-point advantage one minute into the second quarter after a cutting layup by Ayo Dosunmu. The Bulls led 54-45 at the half.

The Clippers did go in front 78-77 with 10 minutes to go on a fall-away, fall-down 10-footer from George. But the Bulls answered with a 9-0 run, capped by a LaVine 3-pointer, for an 86-78 advantage and held on from there.

“Our guys got tired,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said of the loss one day after a 129-102 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. “I messed up and played them to many minutes. … That was on me, so whatever. Start a new (winning) streak.”

TIP-INS

Bulls: G Coby White has not played this season after shoulder surgery. That'll change this week: He was cleared to make his season debut Monday against the Lakers, Donovan said.

Clippers: F Marcus Morris, who has not played since Oct. 23, is making progress on a left knee injury, according to Lue. LA still doesn't know if Morris will be on a two-game road trip later this week.

UP NEXT

Bulls: At the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday.

Clippers: Host San Antonio on Tuesday.

Regular Season Series

CHI leads series 1-0