DEMAR DeRozan scored 35 points and Zach LaVine chipped in 29 as the visiting Chicago Bulls defeated Los Angeles 100-90 Sunday (Monday in Manila), snapping the Clippers’ seven-game winning streak.
The first game of a Southern California back-to-back belonged to the Bulls’ homecoming guards.
DeRozan, a Los Angeles-area native, shot 12-of-16 from the floor and 10-of-11 from the free-throw line, while grabbing seven rebounds and dishing five assists. LaVine, who played college basketball at nearby UCLA, shot 6-of-13 from 3-point range, and grabbed eight rebounds.
LaVine’s hanging jumper over two defenders with 51.8 seconds remaining ended any hope of a Clippers comeback.
Los Angeles played from behind most of the night, falling behind 30-17 through one quarter in the second game of a weekend back-to-back. Behind Paul George (27 points),
Los Angeles fought back in the fourth quarter. George banked in a floater to give the Clippers a 78-77 lead, but DeRozan’s layup on the subsequent Chicago possession sparked a 9-0 Bulls run.
In other games, it was the Suns 115, Rockets 89; Lakers 114, Spurs 106; Hawks 120, Bucks 100; Hornets 106, Warriors 102; Nets 120, Thunder 96; and Nuggets 124, Trail Blazers 95.
Suns 115, Rockets 89
Devin Booker scored a game-high 26 points and JaVale McGee recorded a double-double as Phoenix extended its winning streak to eight games with a victory over host Houston.
Booker tallied 16 first-quarter points to get the Suns off to a solid start while McGee excelled filling the void for Deandre Ayton (leg). McGee added three blocked shots to his 19 points and 14 rebounds to anchor the Suns’ interior defense as Phoenix took advantage of another ragged display of ball handling from Houston.
The Rockets, last in the league with 18.9 turnovers per game, totaled 23 turnovers that Phoenix converted into 22 points. Those miscues, in addition to 7-for-32 3-point shooting, stalled any attempt for the Rockets to snap a skid that reached 11 consecutive games.
