Missing person isn’t a Clipper

They were braced for the deflating prospect of overtime, having played a ragged, wobbly final minute.

But then the wildly unexpected unfolded on the free-throw line: Chicago star Derrick Rose, having made his first free throw with 0.8 of a second remaining, missed the second one.

Overtime would not be needed at the United Center.

The Clippers escaped with a 100-99 victory over the Bulls on Saturday night, giving Coach Vinny Del Negro a moment to savor in his first game back here since being fired by the Bulls in May.

“He just came in and said, ‘Thank you, that was the best present,’ ” said Blake Griffin, who had his 15th consecutive double-double with 29 points and 12 rebounds.

But who would have thought that Rose would be the one gift-wrapping it for Del Negro?

“All the wins are great,” said Del Negro, who coached the Bulls for two seasons. “Obviously, this one is a little bit more special because it is Chicago. But the credit goes to the players.”

The Clippers were like little kids after Rose missed the second free throw. DeAndre Jordan launched himself into the air, and the Clippers looked like a team celebrating an NCAA tournament victory.

You could even hear the sounds of celebration from the Clippers’ locker room well down the hallway and almost around the corner. Baron Davis, who stayed on the court for a TV interview, looked giddy and was shaking his head, laughing. Davis started and had 16 points and seven assists, connecting well with Griffin.

Now after going winless in their first 11 road games, the Clippers (7-21) have won on the road on consecutive nights.

But it wasn’t easy.

They had a seven-point lead with 42.5 seconds remaining and it looked as though this one might slip away when Rose drove to the basket and was fouled by Rasual Butler with 0.8 left.

“I thought I was going to hit them,” said Rose, who scored 34 points. “That’s basketball. I hope I get put in that position again. I know I’m not going to miss. They felt good. You have to look past this. If I get put in that position again, I know I’ll knock them down.”

Griffin was looking at his stat sheet after the game and noted that Rose had missed a free throw earlier in the game.

“You never know,” Griffin said. “I wouldn’t have said he’s making both of those for sure. He missed two free throws on the night -- one of them was big for us. That was great.”

Said the Clippers’ Eric Gordon, who had 15 points: “Those are two tough ones at the end of the game ... for anybody.”

The Bulls, who had won seven in a row, were hampered in a major way without Joakim Noah, who had thumb surgery Thursday.

It allowed Griffin free rein inside as the Bulls had few answers for him. Noah’s replacement, former USC star Taj Gibson, suffered a concussion and left the game in the third quarter. They tried a variety of players on Griffin -- Luol Deng, Omer Asik and Kurt Thomas -- but Griffin went 10 for 18 from the field and even made a three-pointer.

“I was just being aggressive,” Griffin said. “They told me to be aggressive. That’s what I tried to do. I hit some shots early and it just kind of got me going.”

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lisa.dillman@latimes.com

twitter.com/reallisa

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BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX

Rookie streak

Blake Griffin has 15 consecutive double-doubles dating to Nov. 20. He has 21 for the season, second in the NBA to Minnesota’s Kevin Love, who has 23.

*--* Date Opponent Rebs Pts Dec. 18 Chicago 12 29 Dec. 17 Detroit 17 24 Dec. 15 Philadelphia 18 20 Dec. 12 Orlando 16 27 Dec. 11 Memphis 11 19 Dec. 8 Lakers 11 16 Dec. 6 Sacramento 11 13 Dec. 5 Portland 15 21 Dec. 3 Denver 12 17 Dec. 1 San Antonio 13 31 Nov. 28 Utah 14 35 Nov. 26 Phoenix 14 20 Nov. 25 Sacramento 15 25 Nov. 22 New Orleans 13 24 Nov. 20 New York 15 44 *--*

Source: NBA.com

Shade denotes Clippers victory.