March 02--The summary
The Bulls fell to 1-2 since Derrick Rose's latest injury, playing without the injured Taj Gibson and losing Jimmy Butler early in the third quarter to a hyperextended left elbow. Chris Paul's 28 points and 12 assists led the Clippers in their 96-86 victory, which featured season-low 31 percent shooting from the Bulls. DeAndre Jordan added an opponent-season-high 26 rebounds. Nikola Mirotic's career-high 29 points led the Bulls, including 16 in the fourth quarter.
Turning point
As Mirotic heated up in the fourth quarter, the Bulls grabbed a 76-73 lead. But the Clippers responded with a 10-2 run as Jamal Crawford warmed up and Paul maintained his typical control.
Tribune's player of the game
Paul. Beyond his statistics, he controlled the pace and tempo throughout.
Key number
1. That's how many Bulls other than Mirotic scored in the fourth quarter and also the number of points. Joakim Noah split two free throws with 74 seconds left. Otherwise, nobody else scored.
The quote
"We can't replace Derrick individually. We need to do so collectively." -- Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau
The quote, II
"He played really well. To me, it's every time he plays, he plays well. That's definitely a positive. We know he's very capable and somebody who is very important for this team's success." -- Noah on Mirotic
The quote, III: "I took open shots and my teammates found me. Without Derrick and Jimmy, somebody needs to shoot." -- Mirotic
Foul play
Similar to their strategy in their road loss to the Pistons when they intentionally fouled Andre Drummond, the Bulls fouled Jordan on purpose three times in the fourth quarter. Jordan, who entered at 40.9 percent, went 3-for-6.
Up next
Vs. Wizards, 7 p.m. Tuesday.
