Bulls-Clippers Preview

By MATT BECKER
Posted Dec 30 2011 2:35AM

Los Angeles believes the offseason acquisition of Chris Paul can transform the Clippers from longtime losers into the NBA elite.

Derrick Rose's development over the past few seasons with Chicago has quickly helped the Bulls move into that realm.

The starting point guards from last season's All-Star game square off Friday night when Rose's Bulls visit Paul in the Clippers' home opener.

In one of the biggest trades in franchise history, Los Angeles (1-1) acquired Paul from New Orleans on Dec. 14. The move pairs the four-time All-Star with the high-flying Blake Griffin and suddenly has the Clippers poised to put years of frustration behind them.

Paul had a solid debut for the Clippers, finishing with 20 points and nine assists in a 105-86 win over Golden State on Christmas, but struggled a bit in Wednesday's 115-90 loss to San Antonio. He had 10 points on 3 of 10 shooting with nine assists.

"We are going to practice and figure out what we did right and figure out what we did wrong," Paul said. "First things first, we need to start with me."

Fans would certainly like to see Paul feed Griffin a bit more. The two have not yet hooked up for an alley-oop, something many were envisioning when the trade was made.

Griffin has still made his presence felt, combining for 50 points in the first two games. He totaled 61 points and 25 rebounds against the Bulls last season to help the Clippers split the two-game series.

Although Los Angeles was one of just five teams to win at the United Center in 2010-11, Paul has never defeated Rose, losing all four head-to-head matchups. In his lone game against the Bulls last season, Paul had 15 points on 3 of 10 shooting with six assists in a loss with the Hornets.

Rose averaged 33.0 points and 9.5 assists against the Clippers last season. The Bulls (2-1) went an NBA-best 62-20 a year ago after winning 41 in each of Rose's first two seasons under current Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro and are again considered championship contenders.

Rose, however, hasn't played up to his lofty standards in Chicago's last two games. The two-time All-Star had 13 points on 4 of 17 shooting in a 99-91 loss to Golden State on Monday, and finished with 19 points and six turnovers while being plagued by foul trouble in Thursday's 108-98 win over Sacramento.

"I wanted to be more aggressive and attack the hole. (Fouls) are something I have to get through and can't worry about," he said. "I'm just happy we won the game."

Although Rose never seemed to find his rhythm against the Kings, the Bulls still finished with season highs in scoring and field goal percentage (53.8). Carlos Boozer and Richard Hamilton each scored 16, while Luol Deng and Ronnie Brewer finished with 12 points apiece.

Chicago's offense now looks to frustrate a Los Angeles team that allowed the Spurs to shoot 56.3 percent and score 48 points in the paint.

"Our defense needs to be better, and it can get better," Griffin said. "The good thing about the mistakes out there is that they are easily correctable."

Bulls pull away in 4th to beat Clippers 114-101

By BETH HARRIS
Posted Dec 31 2011 2:28AM

LOS ANGELES (AP) With Derrick Rose attacking, the court opened up for the rest of the Chicago Bulls. They hit their shots and Rose did just about everything else to help his team wrap up a successful season-opening West Coast trip.

Rose had 29 points and 16 assists, and the Bulls pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 114-101 Friday night.

"I just wanted to win. That was the biggest thing," he said. "It was a lot of hype because this was their first home game."

Luol Deng and Joakim Noah added 19 points apiece and Richard Hamilton had 16 for the Bulls against their former coach, Vinny Del Negro.

"Derrick is just a handful and we all know that," said Del Negro, who coached Rose his first two seasons in Chicago. "I didn't think we ganged up on him enough. He got too many free throws, but he also hit some tough shots in the fourth quarter, stepping behind the line and hitting some 3s. And when he does that, it puts a lot more pressure on you."

Blake Griffin had 34 points and 13 rebounds for the Clippers, who kept it close most of the way coming off a 25-point loss at San Antonio. Caron Butler added 16 points and Chris Paul had 15 points and 14 assists in his matchup against Rose, the NBA's MVP last season.

"We were up to the challenge, and we were capable (of winning)," Griffin said. "But we've got 63 more, so we'll be all right. We're going to win games, but we've got to get better defensively. I've got to do a better job with my shot selection and knock down those jumpers."

The Clippers, who outshot the Bulls and outscored them in the paint, got within three early in the fourth quarter on a 3-pointer by rookie Trey Thompkins.

Then the Bulls took over.

Ronnie Brewer hit a 3-pointer and made two free throws before Rose made two free throws, then Deng hit a 3-pointer from in front of the Clippers' bench to give Chicago a 97-84 lead.

"It makes me feel good knowing that I have shooters," Rose said. "Everybody was hitting the shots they were supposed to hit. That is the difference this year. We're way better (offensively)."

Griffin singlehandedly fueled the Clippers' offense with eight straight points that included a ferocious dunk in which he walked away with his fists clenched and his teeth gritted. Still, it left his team trailing by eight points with less than five minutes to play.

The Bulls effectively used 3-pointers to keep the Clippers at bay in the fourth, when they hit four, including two by Rose.

"They were getting to the rim, kicking out, doing a good job of finding guys for corner 3s, and they had guys spotting up on the perimeter," Griffin said. "So we've got to do a better job of helping and getting out and contesting those 3s. I can live with contested 3s, but not wide-open ones."

The Bulls finished their trip with a 3-1 mark, losing at Golden State. Rose was disgusted with his effort in the eight-point loss on Monday.

"The last two games he's been very, very aggressive and our team has played with a lot of force offensively," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "Derrick showed a good resolve."

Chicago moved out to a seven-point lead in the third quarter, when the Clippers' DeAndre Jordan picked up his fourth foul and was forced to sit down for more than eight minutes. He finished with 10 points.

"I guess I can't play that aggressive," he said.

Mo Williams and Butler hit consecutive 3-pointers as part of a 13-6 run that helped the Clippers tie the game at 77. But the Bulls answered with six straight points while the Clippers missed their final five shots to lead 83-77 going into the fourth. Deng had 10 points in the quarter.

The Bulls closed on a 10-2 run, including four straight by Noah, to lead 57-52 at halftime. The first two quarters were mostly back and forth, with the Clippers leading by eight in the first 12 minutes.

Griffin and Paul took to the court before tipoff to thank the fans for their support, with Griffin saying, "We're going to try to make this a season you won't forget."

Los Angeles opened with a bang, making its first six shots, with Paul feeding Griffin for a two-handed dunk on the Clippers' first basket. Jordan had the crowd roaring with his one-handed dunk off a ball tossed toward the basket by Butler.

NOTES: The Clippers fell to 5-8 in home openers at Staples Center. ... Rose heard chants of "MVP" when he was at the free throw line. "It's great, especially when you're on the road," he said. ... Paul has yet to beat Rose in five career games. His previous four losses came when Paul played for New Orleans. ... Clippers PA announcer David Courtney introduced Williams as Chauncey Billups during pregame intros. Billups was the first player introduced and he sat out with a sore right groin. ... Boxer Floyd Mayweather attended the game.

Notebook: Bulls 114, Clippers 101

By Dan Arritt, for NBA.com
Posted Saturday December 31, 2011 3:06AM

THE FACTS: In a matchup of All-Star point guards Friday night in Los Angeles, Derrick Rose of the Bulls got the best of Chris Paul and the Clippers, finishing with 29 points, 16 assists and eight rebounds in the 114-101 victory at Staples Center.

QUOTABLE: "It was like two heavyweights going at it, punch after punch."
-- Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau on the Rose vs. Paul matchup.

THE STAT: Rose, the reigning NBA most valuable player and two-time All Star, improved to 5-0 in his career against Paul. Rose showed his effectiveness as a game closer, scoring 12 points and dishing out four assists in the fourth quarter, when Chicago outscored the Clippers, 31-24. Paul, a four-time All Star who played two more minutes than Rose, finished with 15 points, 14 assists and four rebounds.

TURNING POINT: With the score tied, 77-77, and 2:28 left in the third quarter, Chicago forward Luol Deng missed an 18-footer, but 7-foot center Omer Asik was fouled by Caron Butler as he grabbed the rebound. Asik missed both free throws but Taj Gibson went into first row of seats to save the loose ball and get it back to Rose, who passed to Deng for a reverse layup. The Bulls scored four more unanswered points before the quarter ended, giving them a six-point lead entering the fourth. The Clippers never got close than three the rest of the way.

HOT: Not lost in the point-guard battle was another strong game by last season's rookie of the year, Blake Griffin of the Clippers. The 6-foot-10 power forward finished with 34 points and 13 rebounds. He made his first four field-goal attempts, then missed five straight before heading to the bench for his first breather. He returned to shoot 10-for-16 the rest of the way.

NOT: The Clippers, already without a backup center on the roster, got into foul trouble with their big men and that seemed to throw them for a loop. Clippers starting center DeAndre Jordan committed three fouls in the second quarter and his replacement, Brian Cook, couldn't play defense without drawing a whistle either. The Clippers were forced to give rookie forward Trey Thompkins his first significant minutes but he had no inside presence. Thompkins did manage a 3-pointer to draw the Clippers within three points with 9:27 remaining in the game, but the Bulls answered with a 10-0 run to put their season-opening four-game road trip on ice.

GOOD MOVE: Rose made a number of dazzling moves on his way to the basket but the best belonged to Paul. With the Clippers trailing by five early in the third quarter, he performed about a half dozen between-the-leg dribbles while guarded by Rose at the top of the key. He then made a lightning-quick crossover dribble to his right, created room to get into the lane and then twice changed speeds as he drove to the basket and laid the ball in low off the glass.

BAD MOVE: Clippers guard Mo Williams, who started the game in place of injured Chauncey Billups, had a hot hand early on, shooting 5-for-8 through his first 26 minutes of playing time. Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro decided to replace him with Randy Foye with 4:09 left in the third, however, and Foye didn't offer anything, missing both shot attempts the rest of the third and another in the fourth. By the time Del Negro put Williams back in the game, the Clippers trailed, 97-84, with 7:26 left.

NOTABLE: Billups was a game-time decision after injuring his groin during Wednesday's loss in San Antonio. His return is considered day-to-day. Billups spent the game in a coat and tie sitting next to the coaching staff ... All five starters for both teams scored in double figures. The Bulls went to the free-thrown line 34 times, compared to 20 for the Clippers. Rose went 10-for-11 from the line and Joakim Noah was 9-for-10.

UP NEXT: For the Clippers, Sunday vs. Portland, Wednesday vs. Houston, Saturday vs. Milwaukee. For the Bulls, Sunday vs. Memphis, Tuesday vs. Atlanta, Wednesday @ Detroit.

• Bulls: --
• Clippers: --

• Bulls: --
• Clippers: Griffin

• Lead Changes: 9
• Times Tied: 6

• Arena: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
• Officials: #8 Marc Davis, #18 Matt Boland, #68 Marat Kogut
• Attendance: 19426
• Duration: 2:20