Lakers drop eighth straight, lose to Bulls, 114-91
Lakers center Roy Hibbert is surrounded by Bulls defenders Taj Gibson and E’Twwaun Moore as he holds onto a loose ball while on the floor during a Jan. 28 game at Staples Center.
The Lakers lost their eighth straight game, falling to the Chicago Bulls, 114-91, on Thursday night at Staples Center.
Pau Gasol, now with the Bulls, made his lone yearly visit to his former team, receiving a warm ovation from fans. Gasol, who helped the Lakers win NBA titles in 2009 and 2010, neared a triple-double with 21 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists.
Kobe Bryant returned after sitting out the Lakers’ Tuesday night loss to the Dallas Mavericks with a sore shoulder. Bryant, playing 25 minutes, scored just 10 points with four rebounds and three assists.
The Bulls quickly pulled ahead and stayed there -- by as many as 18 points in the first quarter, 22 in the second, 23 in the third and 28th in the fourth. The Lakers threatened throughout, but never enough to give Chicago a real scare.
Chicago’s Jimmy Butler was the game’s leading scorer with 26 points, along with 10 assists. Derrick Rose added 16 points and Doug McDermott 15.
The Lakers were led by Julius Randle with 14 points and eight rebounds. Jordan Clarkson scored 16 points, and Nick Young added 14 off the bench.
Rookie D’Angelo Russell had a difficult night with three points on one-of-seven shooting. He also turned the ball over three times, while dishing four assists in 34 minutes.
Rookie small forward Anthony Brown started in place of veteran guard Lou Williams, who had an upper respiratory infection. Bryant slid over to his more-traditional shooting guard role. Brown finished with seven points and three rebounds.
The Bulls were without Mike Dunleavy (back), Nikola Mirotic (appendicitis), Joakim Noah (shoulder) and Kirk Hinrich (quadriceps).
The Lakers shot 37.6% from the field, 36% from three-point range (9-25) and 78.3% from the free-throw line (18-23). The Bulls hit 49.5%, 35.3% (6-17) and 87.5% (14-16), respectively.
The Lakers (9-39) play again on Friday, visiting the Clippers (30-16). The Bulls (26-19) are off until Sunday, staying in Los Angeles to play the Clippers.
Email Eric Pincus at Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus
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