For the second time in six days, the Bulls fell short against the Clippers without James Harden. The Chicago Bulls lost 111-126 to the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night, their third defeat in four games due to a poor start.
The Bulls attempted to overcome a 20-point deficit in the third quarter and closed the gap to single digits in the fourth, but they were unable to muster the necessary momentum and suffered their second straight loss to the Clippers in as many days. Additionally, Chicago lost their season series 0-2 when they fell to Los Angeles 102-112.
The preceding night, Chicago had defeated Indiana 132-129 in overtime, but they were unable to maintain their momentum and quickly fell behind, 26-37.
At the half, the Clippers led by double digits, 64-53.
Feeble attempt at Comeback
At 4 minutes into the third quarter, the margin was up to 90-70 before the Bulls closed the gap to 80-92.
Chicago got within 90-98 at the beginning of the fourth quarter thanks to two three-pointers from DeMar DeRozan during a 10-6 run. But the Clippers responded to each Bulls run, and with 5:27 remaining, they had regained a double-digit lead, 113-99.
With 2:42 remaining, the Clippers put the game away by building a 123-102 advantage, preventing Chicago from mounting a significant comeback.
The King of the Fourth has arrived.@NBCSChicago | @DeMar_DeRozan pic.twitter.com/XoEB0JUdIy
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) March 15, 2024
DeRozan had 21 points on 6-of-16 from the floor following his 46-point performance in the victory over the Pacers.
The Bulls fell to 32-35 as Nikola Vucevic scored 19 points and Alex Caruso scored 17.
Andre Drummond scored fifteen points, while Alex Caruso and Jevon Carter each contributed twelve points. Coby White was absent due to a right hip injury.
Leonard and George are too strong for Chicago
James Harden was sidelined due to an injured left shoulder, but Paul George and Kawhi Leonard made up for it, leading the Clippers to victory with 28 and 27 points, respectively.
George had five rebounds, seven assists, and a 7-for-12 shooting performance from the floor. Leonard shot 12-for-17 from the field and was just as effective when he wasn’t playing because of back spasms on Tuesday against Minnesota.
it's a 2⃣1⃣3⃣ thing!
KAWHI ➡️➡️➡️ PG pic.twitter.com/NyxVyiAYBD
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) March 15, 2024
With 18 points from Norman Powell, 17 from Bones Hyland, and 12 from Terance Mann, the Clippers moved to 42-23.