The Chicago Bulls managed to scored just 12 points in the 3rd quarter and only 30 points in the 2nd half as they dropped a 101-91 game to the Los Angeles Clippers Saturday night. This was a nationally televised game, but it was on ABC not TNT where the Bulls have a 19 game winning streak on.
The Clippers held the lead early in the game. but there where five ties during that time. The last tie of the quarter was at 14 all before the Bulls took their first lead of the game. After one more tie at 19 all Chicago finished the quarter on a 10 to 4 run to take a 29-23 lead after one quarter.
The Bulls built there lead to 10 points five different time during the quarter and while the Clippers never held the lead in the quarter they where able to knack the Bulls lead under double digits. The Bulls last 10 point lead was 50-40 with 5:41 left in the quarter. After Chris Paul hit a 3-pointer with :04 seconds left in the quarter the Clippers had cut the Bulls lead to six points at 61-55 going into halftime.
Chicago scored the first two points of the 3rd quarter and managed to hold the lead until Blake Griffin made two free throws with 5:37 to play to tie the game at 68. The Bulls scored just five more points in the quarter as the Clippers pulled out to a nine point lead 82-73 after three quarters.
With the Bulls scoring drought carrying over into the 4th quarter the closet they could get was when they cut the Clippers lead to eight points early in the quarter. The Clippers took there first double digit lead of the game with 10:19 left in the game on a Jamal Crawford jump shoot to make the score 86-76. Chicago was only able to get the lead into single digits one time the rest of the game while the Clippers built a 16 point lead at one time. In the end Los Angeles went away with a 10 point 101-91 win.
Jamal Crawford came off the Clippers bench to be the leading scorer in the game with 25 points. Chris Paul scored 17 points while Blake Griffin added 16 points and had a team high 7 assists. J.J. Reddick went for 13 points and Luc Mbah a Moute scored 12 points. DeAndre Jordan was the games leading rebounder grabbed 14.
The Bulls where led by Jimmy Butler with 16 points. Robin Lopez scored 12 points while Bobby Portis had 11 points and Dwayne Wade added 10 points. Paul Zipser came off the Bulls bench to score 10 points. Rajon Rondo handed out a game high 9 assists while Portis and Nikola Mirotic tied for the team lead in rebounds with 7.
The Clippers improved top 37-25 with the win. After a short two game road trip the Clippers return home for a nationally televised game on Monday night against the 40-22 Boston Celtics. The loss sends the Bulls back to the .500 mark at 31-31. Chicago get s day off before they head out on the road for a Monday night game against the 30-32 Detroit Pistons.
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