National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
L.A. Clippers 96, Chicago 86
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, March 1, 2015
Where: United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Officials: #20 Leroy Richardson, #17 Joe Crawford, #36 David Jones
Attendance: 21680

Clippers 96, Bulls 86: Chris Paul scored 28 points and handed out 12 assists as Los Angeles pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat Chicago for the fifth straight time at the United Center.

Jamal Crawford added 10 of his 16 points in the final frame for the Clippers, who haven't lost in the Windy City since 2008. Spencer Hawes collected 14 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots while DeAndre Jordan pulled down a game-high 26 boards for Los Angeles, which survived a 13-of-24 performance from the foul line.

Nikola Mirotic set a new career high with 29 points for the shorthanded Bulls, who were already missing Derrick Rose (knee) and Taj Gibson (ankle) before losing Jimmy Butler to a strained left elbow in the third quarter. Aaron Brooks tallied 14 points while Joakim Noah recorded 13 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for Chicago, which shot a season-low 31 percent from the floor.

Hawes sparked a 9-0 spurt to put Los Angeles on top 62-61 before Mirotic later scored six straight points to give Chicago a 75-73 edge with 8:48 left in the fourth quarter. Paul and Crawford knocked down back-to-back jumpers as part of a decisive 10-2 run to put the Clippers in front 88-80 with 3:03 remaining and they were not threatened the rest of the way.

The Clippers led 26-18 after the first quarter before Mirotic scored eight points during a 12-2 run to put the Bulls ahead 30-28. Paul led all scorers with 14 points as Los Angeles held Chicago to 34.1 percent shooting in the first half to take a 43-41 advantage into intermission.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Clippers have won nine of the last 10 meetings in Chicago. … Jordan corralled 17 rebounds in the first half - the most by any player in the NBA this season. … Bulls PF Pau Gasol secured 15 rebounds after missing the win over Minnesota on Friday with an illness.
Top Game Performances
 
L.A. Clippers   Chicago
Chris Paul 28 Scoring Nikola Mirotic 29
Chris Paul 12 Assists Joakim Noah 6
DeAndre Jordan 26 Rebounds Pau Gasol 15
DeAndre Jordan 5 Free Throws Made Joakim Noah 9
DeAndre Jordan 2 Steals Kirk Hinrich 2
Matt Barnes 4 Blocks Nikola Mirotic 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
L.A. Clippers 96 43.7 7-27 13-24 15 55 12 6 9
Chicago 86 31.0 10-26 22-30 18 51 1 2 12
Upcoming Games
  • Chicago will play their next game at home against Washington. The Bulls have a W/L % of .541 after a win and .739 after a loss.
  • L.A. Clippers will play their next game on the road against Minnesota. The Clippers have a W/L % of .605 after a win and .727 after a loss.