The Los Angeles Clippers used a 30 point 4th quarter to end the Chicago Bulls 4 game winning steak 102-95 Saturday night at the Staples Center. While the Clippers have multiple All-Star players it was Marreese Speights who really got the Clippers over the top for the win. Speights scored 11 of his season high 16 points in the 4th quarter. The Clippers hit there free throw s late in the game and 2 Technical Fouls on Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg iced the game for Los Angeles. The Clippers have the best record in the NBA at 12-2 while the loss drops the Bulls to 8-5.
The Bulls got off to a good start and after Dwayne Wade hit his second 3-pointer in a row as well as his second of the quarter the Bulls had a 10 point lead at 19-9. The Clippers never got closer than 6 in the quarter and after Jimmy Butler hit a buzzer beater the Bulls had a 10 point lead again at 33-23.
The Bulls scored the first 12 points of the 2nd quarter and stretched there lead to 19 points at 45-26. The rest of the 2nd quarter belong to the Clippers. Los Angeles went on a 24-7 run to cut the Bulls lead to 5 points at 52-47 going into halftime.
Jimmy Butler hit a 3-pointer at the 9:32 mark to give the Bulls another 10 point lead at 59-49. The Clippers cut the Bulls lead to 3 at 68-65 after Chris Paul made a 3-pointer. Then another Paul basket cut the Bulls lead to just one at 68-67. The Bulls ended the quarter on a 9-5 run to make the lead 5 at 77-72 heading into the final quarter.
The Clippers came out in the 4th quarter on a 10-5 run and the game was tied at 82 all. The Clippers took there first lead since the 1st quarter at 87-85 on a Speights 3-pointer with 6:13 left in the game. The Bulls did even the game at 87 apiece, but never took the lead in the game again. Isaiah Cannaan hit a 3-pointer to cut the Clippers lead to 2 at 97-95, but Los Angeles made 5 of 6 free throws down the stretch. Blake Griffin hit 2 after a tough foul call on Jimmy Butler and then J.J. Reddick stepped to the free throw line and hit 3 of 4 from the free throw line to put the game away at 102-95.
Blake Griffin led the Clippers with 26 points and grabbed a game high 13 rebounds. Chris Paul added 19 points and tied for the game high in assists with 8. J.J. Reddick was the other Clippers starter in double figures with 10 points while Marreese Speights came off the Los Angeles bench to go 5 of 7 from the field including going 3 of 4 from behind the 3-point line and 3 of 4 from the free throw line to total 16 points.
Dwayne Wade led the Bulls in scoring with 28 points. Wade went 5 of 9 from the 3-point line in the game. Jimmy Butler scored 22 points, Taj Gibson scored 11 points and Robin Lopez added 10 points. The other Bulls starter Rajon Rondo scored 9 points, had a team high 10 rebounds and tied for the game high in assists with 8.
The Clippers (12-2) get to stay at home as they host the Toronto Raptors (8-4) on Monday night. The Bulls (8-5) continue their west coast road trip and interestingly enough stay in Los Angeles as tonight (Sunday) they’ll take on the Los Angeles Lakers who are a game over .500 at 7-6.
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