Game ID: 22300956
LA Clippers @ Chicago Bulls
Thursday, March 14, 2024 at 8:00 PM ET
United Center, Chicago, IL
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
CHI 26 27 27 31 111LAC 37 27 28 34 126
CHI vs LAC ScoutingCHI vs LAC Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
CHI availability going into 3/07 · back-to-backOUT Craig missed 7 since 2/22, returns tonight: 14 min (70% of 20)
OUT Terry missed 2 since 3/04, out tonight
BACK Bitim back 2/28 after 2, 16 min since (135% of 12)
NEW White 36 to 43 min over the last 5
NEW Dosunmu 29 to 40 min over the last 5
NEW Drummond 17 to 24 min over the last 5
CHI availability going into 3/09 · 1 day's restOUT Terry missed 3 since 3/04, returns tonight: 1 min (5% of 12)
BACK Craig back 3/07 after 7, 14 min since (70% of 20)
BACK Bitim back 2/28 after 2, 16 min since (136% of 12)
NEW White 36 to 42 min over the last 5
NEW Dosunmu 29 to 40 min over the last 5
CHI availability going into 3/11 · 1 day's restBACK Craig back 3/07 after 7, 14 min since (68% of 20)
BACK Terry back 3/09 after 3, 1 min since (5% of 12)
NEW Dosunmu 29 to 37 min over the last 5
CHI availability going into 3/13 · 1 day's restBACK Craig back 3/07 after 7, 14 min since (73% of 20)
BACK Terry back 3/09 after 3, 4 min since (35% of 12)
NEW Dosunmu 29 to 36 min over the last 5
CHI availability going into 3/14 · back-to-backBACK Craig back 3/07 after 7, 16 min since (83% of 20)
BACK Terry back 3/09 after 3, 5 min since (39% of 12)
NEW Dosunmu 29 to 36 min over the last 5
CHI availability going into 3/16 · 1 day's restBACK Craig back 3/07 after 7, 18 min since (93% of 20)
BACK Terry back 3/09 after 3, 7 min since (59% of 12)
NEW Dosunmu 29 to 36 min over the last 5
CHI availability going into 3/18 · 1 day's restOUT White missed 2 since 3/14, out tonight
BACK Terry back 3/09 after 3, 9 min since (79% of 12)
NEW Dosunmu 29 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Bitim 12 to 18 min over the last 5
CHI availability going into 3/21 · 2 days' restOUT White missed 3 since 3/14, returns tonight: 30 min (81% of 36)
NEW Dosunmu 29 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Bitim 12 to 21 min over the last 5
CHI availability going into 3/23 · 1 day's restBACK White back 3/21 after 3, 30 min since (81% of 36)
NEW Dosunmu 29 to 39 min over the last 5
NEW Caruso 29 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Bitim 12 to 18 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 3/06 · 1 day's restOUT Westbrook missed 2 since 3/03, out tonight
OUT Tucker missed 3 since 3/01, out tonight
OUT Plumlee missed 2 since 3/03, returns tonight: 20 min (140% of 14)
OUT Boston missed 2 since 3/03, out tonight
BACK George back 3/01 after 2, 34 min since (99% of 34)
BACK Zubac back 3/03 after 2, 21 min since (79% of 27)
BACK Theis back 2/25 after 3, 22 min since (131% of 17)
BACK Hyland back 3/01 after 11, 14 min since (99% of 14)
LAC availability going into 3/09 · 2 days' restOUT Westbrook missed 3 since 3/03, out tonight
OUT Tucker missed 4 since 3/01, out tonight
OUT Boston missed 3 since 3/03, out tonight
BACK George back 3/01 after 2, 35 min since (102% of 34)
BACK Zubac back 3/03 after 2, 19 min since (71% of 27)
BACK Plumlee back 3/06 after 2, 20 min since (140% of 14)
BACK Hyland back 3/01 after 11, 13 min since (93% of 14)
LAC availability going into 3/10 · back-to-backOUT Westbrook missed 4 since 3/03, out tonight
OUT Tucker missed 5 since 3/01, returns tonight: 26 min (170% of 15)
OUT Boston missed 4 since 3/03, returns tonight: 18 min (178% of 10)
BACK George back 3/01 after 2, 36 min since (105% of 34)
BACK Zubac back 3/03 after 2, 21 min since (77% of 27)
BACK Plumlee back 3/06 after 2, 20 min since (140% of 14)
BACK Hyland back 3/01 after 11, 13 min since (94% of 14)
LAC availability going into 3/12 · 1 day's restOUT Westbrook missed 5 since 3/03, out tonight
BACK Zubac back 3/03 after 2, 22 min since (81% of 27)
BACK Tucker back 3/10 after 5, 26 min since (170% of 15)
BACK Plumlee back 3/06 after 2, 13 min since (95% of 14)
BACK Boston back 3/10 after 4, 18 min since (178% of 10)
LAC availability going into 3/14 · 1 day's restOUT Westbrook missed 6 since 3/03, out tonight
BACK Tucker back 3/10 after 5, 26 min since (170% of 15)
BACK Plumlee back 3/06 after 2, 10 min since (73% of 14)
BACK Boston back 3/10 after 4, 13 min since (133% of 10)
LAC availability going into 3/15 · back-to-backOUT Westbrook missed 7 since 3/03, out tonight
OUT Tucker missed 2 since 3/12, returns tonight: 24 min (161% of 15)
BACK Plumlee back 3/06 after 2, 8 min since (59% of 14)
BACK Boston back 3/10 after 4, 12 min since (116% of 10)
NEW Hyland 14 to 19 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 3/17 · 1 day's restOUT Harden missed 2 since 3/14, returns tonight: 36 min (103% of 35)
OUT Westbrook missed 8 since 3/03, out tonight
BACK Tucker back 3/10 after 5, 25 min since (165% of 15)
BACK Boston back 3/10 after 4, 12 min since (116% of 10)
NEW Hyland 14 to 22 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 3/20 · 2 days' restOUT Westbrook missed 9 since 3/03, out tonight
BACK Harden back 3/17 after 2, 36 min since (103% of 35)
BACK Tucker back 3/10 after 5, 23 min since (156% of 15)
BACK Boston back 3/10 after 4, 9 min since (93% of 10)
NEW Hyland 14 to 21 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 3/22 · 1 day's restOUT Powell missed 2 since 3/17, out tonight
OUT Westbrook missed 10 since 3/03, out tonight
BACK Harden back 3/17 after 2, 36 min since (103% of 35)
BACK Tucker back 3/15 after 2, 23 min since (156% of 15)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Chicago comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 121, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 22 free throws a game; DeRozan at 29 and Vučević at 21 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Second night of a back-to-back. The Clippers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 115, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 21 free throws a game; George at 24 and Harden at 18 a game. Without Westbrook (6 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where the Clippers have been minus-0 a night and Chicago minus-5 and the defense, the Clippers allowing 115 a night to Chicago's 121. Call it the Clippers 115, Chicago 114, Chicago keeping it close.
3/07 @ GSW 125-122 — CHI notes
CHI won 125-122. CHI shot 53% (46 of 87) to GSW's 45%, 16 of 36 from three. DeRozan led with 33 (10 of 17, 3 of 6 from three, 10 of 11 at the line); Vučević added 33, White 20. The hinge was Q2, 38-28: CHI came in trailing by 6 and left it ahead by 4. Bitim was the night's best plus/minus at +11.
3/09 @ LAC 102-112 — CHI notes
CHI lost 102-112. CHI shot 43% (37 of 86) to LAC's 50%, 13 of 35 from three. DeRozan led with 24 (8 of 19, 0 of 3 from three, 8 of 9 at the line); Vučević added 22, White 19. Q1 was theirs, 29-23, but the other 3 periods went 89-73 against them. They led by as many as 14. Caruso's -11 in 36 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/11 vs DAL 92-127 — CHI notes
CHI lost 92-127. CHI shot 39% (35 of 89) to DAL's 55%, 7 of 34 from three, and went to the line 22 times to DAL's 15 — 15 points from the stripe to their 12. CHI turned it over 13 times to DAL's 6, and DAL turned those into 10 steals. Bitim led with 17 (8 of 16, 1 of 6 from three); Vučević added 13, DeRozan 13. Q2 was theirs, 26-18, the deficit cut from 28 to 20, but the other 3 periods went 109-66 against them. Dosunmu's -35 in 29 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/13 @ IND 132-129 — CHI notes
CHI won 132-129 in 1 overtime. CHI shot 52% (48 of 92) to IND's 46%, 10 of 28 from three. DeRozan led with 46 (15 of 24, 1 of 6 from three, 15 of 17 at the line); Caruso added 23, Dosunmu 20. The hinge was Q3, 35-23: CHI came in trailing by 4 and left it ahead by 8. CHI trailed 58-62 at the half and won the second half 74-67. Vučević was the night's best plus/minus at +23.
3/14 vs LAC 111-126 — CHI notes
CHI lost 111-126. CHI shot 48% (41 of 86) to LAC's 60%, 16 of 35 from three. DeRozan led with 21 (6 of 16, 2 of 5 from three, 7 of 8 at the line); Vučević added 19, Caruso 17. Q2 was theirs, 27-27, but the other 3 periods went 99-84 against them. Caruso's -25 in 36 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/16 vs WAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Chicago comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 123, shooting 47 percent and 37 from three, 22 free throws a game; DeRozan at 27 and Vučević at 20 a game. One day's rest. Washington comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 114, shooting 48 percent and 31 from three, 20 free throws a game; Kuzma at 26 and Avdija at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 10 a night. Without Bagley III (5 straight), Holmes (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Chicago wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Chicago has been minus-4 a night and Washington minus-10 and the defense, Washington allowing 114 a night to Chicago's 123. Call it Chicago 117, Washington 114, Washington keeping it close.
3/18 vs POR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Chicago comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 118, shooting 48 percent and 35 from three, 24 free throws a game; DeRozan at 23 and Vučević at 19 a game. Without White (2 straight). One day's rest. Portland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 114, shooting 46 percent and 36 from three, 16 free throws a game; Ayton at 27 and Simons at 25 a game. Without Sharpe (30 straight). One day's rest.
So: Chicago wins, and the game turns on the line, where Chicago takes 24 free throws a game to Portland's 16 and the turnovers, Portland giving it away 16 times a game to Chicago's 13. Call it Chicago 115, Portland 110.
3/21 @ HOU — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 108, shooting 50 percent and 36 from three, 24 free throws a game; Ja. Green at 28 and VanVleet at 18 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Whitmore (4 straight). One day's rest. Chicago comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 117, shooting 48 percent and 34 from three, 24 free throws a game; DeRozan at 24 and Vučević at 19 a game. Without White (3 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the defense, Houston allowing 108 a night to Chicago's 117. Call it Houston 118, Chicago 110.
3/23 vs BOS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Chicago comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 117, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 25 free throws a game; DeRozan at 25 and Dosunmu at 24 a game. One day's rest. Boston comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 106, shooting 49 percent and 45 from three, 21 free throws a game; Brown at 30 and Tatum at 29 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Holiday (3 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Boston allowing 106 a night to Chicago's 117 and the arc, Boston at 45 percent from three to Chicago's 38. Call it Boston 117, Chicago 114, Chicago keeping it close.
3/06 @ HOU 122-116 — LAC notes
LAC won 122-116. LAC shot 55% (44 of 80) to HOU's 48%, 12 of 29 from three, and went to the line 26 times to HOU's 17 — 22 points from the stripe to their 10. Leonard led with 28 (11 of 18, 1 of 4 from three); Harden added 21, George 21. The hinge was Q4, 42-30: LAC came in trailing by 6 and left it ahead by 6. LAC trailed 44-57 at the half and won the second half 78-59. Plumlee was the night's best plus/minus at +14.
3/09 vs CHI 112-102 — LAC notes
LAC won 112-102. LAC shot 50% (42 of 84) to CHI's 43%, 12 of 35 from three. George led with 22 (8 of 16, 2 of 6 from three); Leonard added 19, Powell 18. The hinge was Q4, 29-17: LAC came in trailing by 2 and left it ahead by 10. LAC trailed 46-57 at the half and won the second half 66-45. Zubac was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
3/10 vs MIL 117-124 — LAC notes
LAC lost 117-124. LAC took 17 more shots (104 to 87), fed by 17 offensive rebounds, but shot 45% to MIL's 49%, 14 of 47 from three, and got to the line just 10 times against 23 fouls committed. The glass went 52-41 for them. Powell led with 26 (9 of 21, 3 of 14 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); Zubac added 18, Coffey 16. Q1 was theirs, 33-29, but the other 3 periods went 95-84 against them. Zubac's -19 in 26 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/12 vs MIN 100-118 — LAC notes
LAC lost 100-118. LAC shot 47% (34 of 72) to MIN's 51%, 11 of 30 from three, and went to the line 25 times to MIN's 14 — 21 points from the stripe to their 10. LAC turned it over 18 times to MIN's 9, and MIN turned those into 11 steals. The glass went 34-48 against them. George led with 22 (5 of 11, 2 of 5 from three, 10 of 10 at the line); Harden added 12, Powell 11. Q1 was theirs, 34-21, but the other 3 periods went 97-66 against them. They led by as many as 22. Mann's -20 in 28 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/14 @ CHI 126-111 — LAC notes
LAC won 126-111. LAC shot 60% (48 of 80) to CHI's 48%, 20 of 40 from three. George led with 28 (11 of 12, 6 of 7 from three); Leonard added 27, Powell 18. The hinge was Q1, 37-26: from level to 11 ahead, and the lead reached 21. Zubac was the night's best plus/minus at +23.
3/15 @ NOP — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 103, shooting 50 percent and 42 from three, 22 free throws a game; Murphy III at 22 and Williamson at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Daniels (13 straight). One day's rest. The Clippers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 114, shooting 51 percent and 38 from three, 19 free throws a game; George at 23 and Leonard at 20 a game. Without Westbrook (7 straight), Tucker (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: New Orleans wins, and the game turns on the defense, New Orleans allowing 103 a night to the Clippers' 114 and the arc, New Orleans at 42 percent from three to the Clippers' 38. Call it New Orleans 117, the Clippers 109.
3/17 vs ATL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 113, shooting 50 percent and 37 from three, 17 free throws a game; George at 24 and Leonard at 19 a game. Without Harden (2 straight), Westbrook (8 straight). One day's rest. Atlanta comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 108, shooting 45 percent and 41 from three, 19 free throws a game; Murray at 31 and Bogdanović at 18 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Young (10 straight), Okongwu (12 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it the Clippers 116, Atlanta 112, Atlanta keeping it close.
3/20 @ POR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Portland comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 102 a night and allowing 113, shooting 45 percent and 34 from three, 18 free throws a game; Simons at 27 and Ayton at 26 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Sharpe (31 straight), Hagans (2 straight). One day's rest. The Clippers come in 1-4 over their last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 115, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 19 free throws a game; George at 26 and Leonard at 21 a game. Without Westbrook (9 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: The Clippers win, on the road, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it the Clippers 112, Portland 111, Portland keeping it close.
3/22 @ POR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Portland comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 103 a night and allowing 112, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 18 free throws a game; Simons at 26 and Ayton at 23 a game. That is 4 straight losses. Without Sharpe (32 straight), Hagans (3 straight). One day's rest. The Clippers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 111, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 20 free throws a game; George at 26 and Leonard at 22 a game. Without Powell (2 straight), Westbrook (10 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, on the road, and the game turns on the turnovers, Portland giving it away 17 times a game to the Clippers' 13 and the glass, where Portland has been plus-0 a night and the Clippers minus-4. Call it the Clippers 111, Portland 110, Portland keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
CHIAC A. Caruso
AD A. Dosunmu
AD A. Drummond
DD D. DeRozan
DT D. Terry
HD H. Drell
JC J. Carter
NV N. Vučević
OB O. Bitim
TC T. Craig
TT T. Taylor
VU Vucevic
LACAC A. Coffey
BB B. Boston
BH B. Hyland
DT D. Theis
IZ I. Zubac
KL K. Leonard
MP M. Plumlee
NP N. Powell
PG P. George
TM T. Mann
CHI/LAC the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Paul George nails 6 3s, scores 28, Kawhi Leonard adds 27 points as Clippers beat Bulls 126-111
CHICAGO -- — Whether he was burying his shots or moving the ball, Paul George seemed to make all the right decisions. The Clippers will sure take more of that.
George made six 3-pointers and scored 28 points, Kawhi Leonard added 27 and Los Angeles beat the Chicago Bulls 126-111 on Thursday night.
Los Angeles regrouped after a 20-point lead late in the third quarter dwindled to eight in the fourth and stopped a two-game skid, beating Chicago for the second time in six days. Both teams were missing key players with the Clippers’ James Harden (strained left shoulder) and the Bulls’ Coby White (sore right hip) sidelined. But with George and Leonard leading the way, the Clippers had enough to come away with the win.
“We talk about the last 20 games, putting the ball back in PG's hands so he can get used to it so when we get to the playoffs we know exactly what we want to do,” coach Tyronn Lue said. “Now, he's just getting accustomed to running more pick-and-rolls and keeping the ball in his hands.”
George made 11 of 12 from the field and was one shy of a season high in making 6 of 7 3's. The Clippers were 20 of 40 from beyond the arc.
George also had seven assists and just one turnover, with the Bulls double teaming him and Leonard.
“It was just staying under control, playing through our teammates and I think just taking what they gave us,” he said. “I didn't think we were out of the norm, we weren't out of character, we kind of just played our style, slowed the game down for ourselves and took the shots that were available.”
Leonard, who exited Tuesday’s loss to Minnesota because of back spasms, made 12 of 17 shots. He said he thought he got elbowed in the game against the Bulls and irritated it the next day in the loss to Milwaukee.
Norman Powell scored 18 points. Bones Hyland added 17 points and a career-high 11 assists while matching a personal best with four steals for the Clippers, who are fourth in the Western Conference.
DeMar DeRozan led Chicago with 21 points after scoring a season-high 46 in Wednesday’s overtime win at Indiana. The Bulls have lost three of four.
Nikola Vucevic scored 19 for Chicago. Alex Caruso made five 3s and finished with 17 points after scoring a season-high 23 the previous night, and Andre Drummond scored 15.
The Clippers led 90-70 after Terance Mann 's fast-break layup with about 4:30 left in the third quarter. But the Bulls weren't finished.
DeRozan cut it to 98-90 early in the fourth with a finger-roll and 3-pointer. It was a nine-point game midway through the quarter when Hyland made a 3 and Ivica Zubac tipped in a missed 3 by Leonard, and the Clippers remained in control from there.
The Bulls, were breathing a little easier after imaging showed White was not seriously injured, coach Billy Donovan said. He is day to day after Pascal Siakam blocked his layup and landed on him near the end of regulation at Indiana on Wednesday.