By Josh Tolentino
EBC Sports
CHICAGO – Jordan Clarkson was all smiles as he decked out in a pink jacket and t-shirt that read, “I used to be cool” on following Wednesday evening’s game in Chicago.
Contrary to his postgame attire, the Los Angeles Lakers guard was on fire and the star of the night as the Lakers topped the Bulls 96-90, behind a team-high 18 points from Clarkson.
“It was a complete team effort,” the Filipino-American Clarkson said. “We just have to keep staying aggressive. Tonight we came out on the defensive end and switched a lot. Playing our switching defense really messed with their offense, that’s how we got the win.”
With the Lakers down two starters (Nick Young and DeAngelo Russell) due to injury, several teammates stepped up. The Lakers bench outscored the Bulls reserves 56 to 16.
“Our guys have proven when their backs are up against the wall, they can accept a challenge,” Lakers coach Luke Walton said. “They did it tonight, that’s a great win against a very good team.”
Clarkson shot 50 percent (9-of-18) from the field and hit several clutch baskets, but the most important shot came from teammate Julius Randle late in the 4th quarter.
Randle went one-on-one with Nikola Mirotic and made a strong, spin move for a tie-breaking layup with 45.1 seconds left. The Lakers never looked back after that basket.
Randle finished with 13 points and a game high 20 rebounds, as the Lakers outrebounded the best rebounding team in the NBA 60 to 47.
“Julius really did his job,” Clarkson said. “Rebounding was the biggest focus tonight. We all got rebounds at the end.”
The Bulls, who were coming off a season-long six-game road trip, had very little production from their bench. The starters did most of the work on Wednesday and it wasn’t enough against a young and hungry Lakers team.
Bulls guard Jimmy Butler scored a game-high 22 points and managed to get to the free throw line 15 times, but he shots just 4-for-18 from the field in 40 minutes. Rajon Rondo had an all-around contribution, scoring 14 points, grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out six assists.
“I don’t like the outcome of the game, but I like the shots everyone took,” Butler said of the Bulls, who made 32-of-91 field goals including 4-of-21 from the 3-point line. “You have to stop letting them slip away because these are the ones that count at the end.”
Robin Lopez nearly had a triple double for the Bulls. Lopez scored 10 points, grabbed nine rebounds and had a career-high eight blocks.
Dwayne Wade had a root canal pulled on Tuesday and was a game time decision. He finished with 17 points and six assists.
“We played terrible,” Wade said. “You’re going to have a few of those in the season. When you’re at home, you want to find a way to win those games. You’re not going to play pretty all the time. It was an ugly game for us.”
The Lakers continue their to take four-game road trip when they visit the Toronto Raptors at 7:30 CT Friday.
The Bulls welcome LeBron James and the NBA Champion, Cleveland Cavilers on Friday evening. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. from the United Center.
