Reserves lead Lakers over Bulls
CHICAGO -- Guards Jordan Clarkson and Lou Williams scored 18 points apiece off the bench, and the Los Angeles Lakers rallied for a 96-90 win over the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night.
Forward Julius Randle scored 13 points and grabbed a career-high-tying 20 rebounds for the Lakers. Los Angeles (10-10) earned its second win in the past three games despite the absence of injured guards D'Angelo Russell and Nick Young.
Guard Jimmy Butler led the Bulls with 22 points in 40 minutes. Forward Taj Gibson scored 11 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to notch his sixth double-double of the season. Center Robin Lopez scored 10 points, grabbed nine rebounds and set a career high with eight blocks for the Bulls.
Chicago (10-7) lost for the second time in the past three games and fell to 4-2 at home.
Los Angeles seized a 90-87 lead with 1:51 to go in the fourth quarter after back-to-back baskets by Clarkson. A 3-pointer by Butler evened the score at 90-90 with 1:30 remaining.
Randle put the Lakers on top 92-90 with a spin move and a layup with 45.1 seconds to go. Williams made one of two free throws to make it 93-90 with 20.1 seconds remaining.
The Lakers padded their lead after Butler fired an airball on a 3-point attempt.
Butler scored with at least 20 points for the 11th consecutive game, which marks the longest streak of his career.
Chicago entered the fourth quarter with a 73-70 edge. Butler made all six of his free-throw attempts during the third quarter and finished the game 13 of 15 from the stripe.
The Lakers erased a 14-point deficit in the first half to even the score at 47-47 at halftime. Clarkson and Williams keyed the comeback with eight points apiece in the first half. Chicago missed its first eight shots from beyond the arc.
Bulls guard Dwyane Wade provided a pair of early highlights as he drove past Lakers forward Larry Nance Jr. for easy layups. Wade fooled Nance with a spin move in the paint for one basket, and he crossed in front of the 6-foot-9 defender before driving to the rim for another score.
A flurry of fastbreak points helped the Bulls build a 28-17 lead at the end of the first quarter. Guard Rajon Rondo dished four assists in his first eight minutes and finished with six assists.
NOTES: Lakers G Nick Young did not play because of a strained right calf that he sustained Tuesday against the New Orleans Pelicans. Young, 31, is expected to miss two to four weeks because of the injury. He is averaging 13.3 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. ... Bulls G Doug McDermott missed his seventh consecutive game as he remains in the league's concussion protocol. McDermott was injured Nov. 12 when he was knocked off balance and fell hard on his face. ... Lakers G Jose Calderon started his sixth straight game in place of G D'Angelo Russell, who is out as he recovers from left knee soreness. ... Bulls G Dwyane Wade started one day after he had a tooth extracted, and he scored 17 points. The 34-year-old has missed only one game in his first season in Chicago. ... Lakers G Brandon Ingram made his third start of the season. He finished with eight points.