Kawhi scores 33, leads Clippers in win over Bulls
Kawhi scores 33, leads Clippers in win over Bulls (Chicago, IL) – After beating the Pelicans and setting the franchise record for three’s made on Wednesday, the Bulls hosted the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night. Chicago was competitive against the Clippers when they played on Jan 10th, but ultimately lost 130-127.
Paul George was a key part of the Clippers win in January, scoring 28 points. George is missing this game against the Bulls tonight due to a toe injury, so Kawhi Leonard will shoulder more of the scoring burden. The Bulls containing Kawhi as much as possible will play a big component of their ability to win the game.
Clippers dominate the paint to win competitive 1st half
Coby White picked up right where he left off from Wednesday, hitting consecutive threes to give the Bulls an early 6-0 lead. Chicago had four straight turnovers after that, which the Clippers took advantage off. LA went on a 14-0 run to go up 14-6, with 8 minutes left in the 1st. The Clippers also took a double digit lead late in the quarter, but the Bulls responded with a 13-6 run to trail 30-25 going into the 2nd. Eight different Clippers scored in the first, with Kawhi scoring 8 points.
Zach Lavine had 10 points in the 1st quarter, but didn’t score in the 2nd until there were only 5 minutes left. His three at that point reduced the Clippers’ lead to 46-45. LA outscored the Bulls 12-9 from that point forward, to lead 58-54 going into the 2nd half.
The Bulls and Clippers both had seven players in the first half who scored at least five points, with Lavine (13 points) and Kawhi(12 points) leading the way for their respective teams. LA did outscore the Bulls 34-22 in the paint and had 14 points off Chicago’s turnovers, giving them the slight edge.
Kawhi gives the Clippers’ some breathing room
After a tightly-contested first half, the Clippers started the 3rd off with a 10-2 run to create some separation. That run gave them a 72-63 lead with 8 minutes left. The Bulls scored six straight points to counter that, making the score 72-69 with 6.5 minutes remaining. White scored 9 in the quarter for Chicago, but Kawhi bested him with 16 points in the 3rd. He scored 10 of the Clipper’s final 18 points in the period, propelling them to a 90-78 advantage going into the 4th.
Williams and Morris control the 4th, close out the Bulls
Lou Williams came out hot in the 4th quarter for LA, scoring 11 points early. His scoring gave the Clippers their largest lead of the night at 103-86, with 8 minutes to go. Marcus Morris was also big for LA, as his 5th three of the quarter gave them a 123-101 lead with 2 minutes remaining. The Clippers beat the Bulls, 125-106
Kawhi led the Clippers with 33 points and 6 rebounds, but their bench also chipped in 59 points. Lavine had 26 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists for the Bulls. Tomas Satoransky also had a season high 17 points, to go along with 7 assists.
Up Next
The Clippers (19-8) will be playing the Cavs (10-16) in their next game on Sunday night, at 9pm CT.
The Bulls (10-15) will start a three game road trip in their matchup against the Pacers(13-13), on Monday at 6pm CT.
Kawhi scores 33, leads Clippers in win over Bulls
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