NEWSLETTER
The Los Angeles Clippers aren’t the Los Angeles Lakers.
As back and forth as the Clippers’ season has been, they currently sit top-5 in a stiff Western Conference for a reason. And they showed why from the moment Monday night’s game tipped off.
After the Bulls grabbed a brief 8-5 lead, LA strung together a nice 9-0 run to get right back into the ballgame. While the Bulls were able to keep their spirits up and eventually win the first frame 32-27, the Clippers’ run was a taste of what the night would have in store.
Thanks to an offensive clinic, the Clippers would go on to outscore the Bulls 72-45 over the next two quarters. This meant that by the time the final frame came around, the scrubs were sent in to close things out.
When I say offensive clinic, I mean offensive clinic. The Clippers finished with seven players in double figures and shot an absurd 59.3 percent from the field on an even more absurd 41 assists (a Clippers season-high). Kawhi Leonard, Nicolas Batum, and Eric Gordon each finished with at least 22 points and combined for 16 of the Clippers’ 20 3-pointers.
This proved to be yet another game where the Bulls’ lack of reliable 3-point shooting dug them an early hole. They were outscored 60-27 from long-range, as not a single player off the bench could muster one shot from downtown. Indeed, after one of the bench’s best performances against the Lakers on Sunday, the second unit shot just 9-25 from the field and struggled to have anywhere near the same kind of energetic impact.
As frustrated as I am that this crappy game had to also come with a 9:30 start time, I’m not too upset about the outcome. Could the Bulls’ defense have played better? Absolutely, and I’m sure the absence of Alex Caruso played a role in that tonight. But this is also a Bulls team that played 24 hours priors and still went 2-1 on this Western Conference road trip. Also, the Clippers have been either really freakin’ good or really freakin’ bad this season, and I got to tip my hat to them for performing like the former tonight.
Anyway, it’s now time to look toward Wednesday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers at the United Center. As long as the Bulls can put this game behind them, I’m looking forward to that battle.
I need sleep now. Goodnight!
Check out the full box score here.
