NBA: Clippers rally past error-prone Bulls
FILE – Kawhi Leonard #2 and head coach Tyronn Lue of the LA Clippers wait on the sidelines during the first half against the San Antonio Spurs at Crypto.com Arena on January 26, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Harry How/Getty Images/AFP
Kawhi Leonard scored a game-high 33 points, Norman Powell added 27 and Paul George notched a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double to lead the visiting Los Angeles Clippers to a 108-103 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night.
Los Angeles capitalized on 20 Chicago turnovers to improve to 2-1 on a six-game road trip and win for the sixth time in seven games. Ivica Zubac also had a double-double, contributing 14 points and 12 rebounds.
DeMar DeRozan, who scored 20 points as one of six Bulls in double figures, had a career-high eight turnovers.
The Clippers rallied from a 19-point, second-quarter deficit, but had to repel Chicago down the stretch.
33 PTS
4 REB
5 AST
5 STL
2 BLKKawhi got it done on both ends in the Clippers W. pic.twitter.com/3j5nKTlcSC
— NBA (@NBA) February 1, 2023
Fouled on a 3-point attempt with the Bulls trailing 104-102 with 1:03 left, Zach LaVine made just one of three shots from the free-throw line. DeRozan missed a potential go-ahead layup with 36 seconds to go.
Powell and Leonard each swished a pair of free throws in the final 10-plus seconds to help the Clippers close the game.
Nikola Vucevic had 23 points and 14 rebounds for Chicago for his 13th double-double in the past 15 games. LaVine collected 18 points to go with a career-high 14 rebounds while adding eight assists.
Ayo Dosunmu and Patrick Williams scored 11 points apiece for the Bulls, while Alex Caruso had 10.
Chicago led 58-54 at halftime behind 51.2 percent shooting, including an 8-for-15 effort from beyond the arc.
The Clippers fell behind 46-27 on a LaVine runner with 7:22 remaining in the second quarter, but erased the deficit soon enough. Los Angeles used a 23-4 run to tie the game at 50 just over five minutes later.
Powell, who had 20 points off the bench before the break, contributed eight points during the surge.
The Bulls responded by scoring eight of the next 12 points before the break, but creating a larger cushion proved to be a challenge. Los Angeles started the third quarter on a 9-3 run, taking its first lead of the night when Terance Mann hit a pair of free throws at the 8:00 mark.
