The Chicago Bulls pull out a sudden wire-to-wire victory in the absence of Dwyane Wade on Sunday. The second of a back-to-back at Staples Center ends on a high note leading into a game against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday.
Next: Bulls at Clippers Game Takeaways
First Quarter
The Bulls ran through the latter part of the quarter as the aggressors. Jimmy Butler has had much success drawing fouls and getting to the line. He also succeeded in putting Lakers leading scorer D’Angelo Russell in early foul trouble.
Taj Gibson and Robin Lopez had yet another efficient first quarter. Lopez played every minute of the quarter and tallied four points and five rebounds. Gibson added eight points on 4-of-6 shooting.
Butler attempted eight free throws in the first quarter already, thanks to his aggressive play without Dwyane Wade‘s on-court presence. Seven of those free throw makes contributed to his early 13-point outburst.
The Bulls scored a promising 12 points in the paint, one of the early looming problems this season to date.
End of 1st: Tied at 30-30
Second Quarter
The defensive intensity flatlined when the second unit made its first appearance. Lakers guard Lou Williams scored a quick 14 points in just under four minutes of play.
Rebounding became a huge problem without the starting big guys in the paint. Lakers forward Larry Nance Jr. had a field day on the offensive glass. His effort created second chances for the Lakers, which they capitalized on for easy buckets. He finished the quarter with 14 points and five rebounds.
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A big turning point of the quarter that helped the Bulls was Lakers turnovers. The whistle was blown in favor of the Bulls on three straight Lakers possessions.
Butler led the good guys back into the game after an offensive onslaught from their foes. He finished the half with 19 points.
Halftime: Bulls lead 62-61
Third Quarter
The Lakers went on a run to take an early 75-68 lead behind six quick Luol Deng points.. Minutes later, the Bulls came back and went on a run of their own, scoring seven straight to tie the game at 78 apiece.
The guys showed why this team is the best at offensive rebounding in the league, utilizing second chances to fuel a 15-3 run.
Butler finished the quarter with 31 points on the game.
End of 3rd: Bulls lead 90-85
Fourth Quarter
BLAZING fast start to the quarter. The Bulls left the Lakers in the dust to ride off to a 99-87 lead, forcing a quick timeout by opposing coach Luke Walton.
Isaiah Canaan led the charge with a couple of 3-pointers that pushed the Bulls ahead on both ends of the floor.
The Lakers came back from a 15 point deficit to cut it down to five in the final 90 seconds on a 10-2 run. The Bulls attempted to run too many fast breaks instead of cutting down time on the lock. Missed opportunities converted to easy buckets for the Lakers.
Rajon Rondo made a clutch layup with 28.6 seconds left to give the team much needed breathing room.
Butler scored a hard fought 40 points on 14-of-23 shooting, with 12-of-14 free throw makes. He also added seven rebounds and six assists.
Canaan scored 17 off the bench with three 3-pointers.
Final Score: Bulls win 118-110 to improve to 9-5
Next Game
Tuesday, November 22nd at Denver Nuggets (5-8)
Tipoff: 8:10pm CST