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National Basketball Association
Chicago 114, L.A. Lakers 91
When: 10:30 PM ET, Thursday, January 28, 2016
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Officials: #70 Brent Barnaky, #52 Scott Twardoski, #15 Zach Zarba
Attendance: 18997

LOS ANGELES -- Ball movement and a solid team effort allowed the Chicago Bulls to roll past the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night.

Guard Jimmy Butler scored 26 points and dished out 10 assists, and center Pau Gasol had 21 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists, leading the Bulls to a 114-91 rout of the Lakers at Staples Center.

Butler, who also recorded four steals and collected five rebounds in 31 minutes, connected on 11 of 17 shots for the Bulls, winners of two of their past three. Gasol, a former Laker, hit nine of 17 shots.

"I thought we played extremely well," said Butler, who scored 17 of his points in the first half. "I think we played together, we rebounded the ball well. We just gave the ball to the open guy. It also helps when we're making shots."

Chicago point guard Derrick Rose contributed 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while forward Doug McDermott added 15 points.

Rose was impressed with the 29 assists the Bulls complied compared to 21 for the Lakers.

"Huge for a team like this," Rose said. "It's all about effort and conditioning or the way we're playing, which is an up-tempo pace. I think that's when we're most dangerous is in the open court."

Guard Jordan Clarkson scored 16 points and forward Julius Randle and guard Nick Young finished with 14 points apiece for Los Angeles. Randle also grabbed eight rebounds for the Lakers, who lost their eighth in a row and 12th in the past 13 games.

Lakers forward Kobe Bryant, who misfired on nine of 13 field-goal attempts in 25 minutes, finished with 10 points.

"I didn't think we came ready to play," Lakers coach Byron Scott said. "We didn't compete at the beginning of the game. That was the biggest thing that was the most crucial."

The Bulls, who never trailed and led by as many as 28, seized control from the start. They posted a double-digit lead with less than three minutes remaining in the first quarter and never allowed the margin to dip below 12 the rest of the way.

"We've been talking a lot the past couple of days about getting the ball moving side to side, talking about the numbers when you get the ball moving side to side as opposed to staying on one (side)," Chicago coach Fred Hoiberg said. "I thought it was very important to get off to a good start in the first quarter tonight, and we did that."

Chicago (26-19) jumped out to a 32-15 lead after one quarter and a 58-40 advantage at the half. By the end of the third quarter, the Bulls led 90-71.

"They got transition points in the first half off our bad turnovers," Randle said. "We just missed shots. We missed a lot of shots, and Pau did a great job of just picking us apart."

Almost half of the Bulls' output in the first half came via points in the paint, where they held a 28-10 cushion. For the game, the Bulls dictated with a 56-26 edge inside.

In addition to Gasol, Hoiberg credited Butler and Rose with sparking the domination inside.

"They got a couple of lobs in transition tonight. I thought they screened for each other well and played off of each other beautifully," Hoiberg said. "When those guys are out there playing with that attack mentality, we're a pretty good team."

The Bulls dominated in practically every area. They outshot the Lakers 49.5 percent to 37.6 percent, outrebounded them 51-41 and forced 15 turnovers while committing 11.

"From my standpoint, you start questioning if this is important to guys because it can't be every now and then," Scott said, questioning his players' commitment. "It has to get to the point where you go out and you compete every single night. That's just basically your job, to go out and play hard."

The Lakers (9-39) played without guard Lou Williams, who was out with an upper respiratory infection. Los Angeles is now just 1 1/2 games above the Philadelphia 76ers, who own the league's worst record at 7-40.

NOTES: As expected, Bulls G Jimmy Butler was named as one of the reserves for the Eastern Conference All-Star team, but coach Fred Hoiberg was among those surprised by the snub of C Paul Gasol, who was averaging 16.6 points and 10.9 rebounds entering the game against the Lakers. "We all wish Pau would have made it," Hoiberg said. "We felt he was deserving of it, absolutely, with the numbers he's put up. He's had some huge games to help us win games." ... The Bulls will remain in Los Angeles until Sunday, when they play the Clippers in the second contest of their seven-game road swing. The Lakers meet the Clippers on Friday as the visiting team at Staples Center.
Top Game Performances
 
Chicago   L.A. Lakers
Jimmy Butler 26 Scoring Jordan Clarkson 16
Jimmy Butler 10 Assists Jordan Clarkson 4
Pau Gasol 12 Rebounds Julius Randle 8
Jimmy Butler 3 Free Throws Made Julius Randle 6
Jimmy Butler 4 Steals Kobe Bryant 2
Taj Gibson 2 Blocks Brandon Bass 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Chicago 114 49.5 6-17 14-16 29 51 5 12 11
L.A. Lakers 91 37.6 9-25 18-23 21 41 4 6 15
Upcoming Games
  • L.A. Lakers will play their next game on the road against L.A. Clippers. The Lakers have a W/L % of .222 after a win and .179 after a loss.
  • Chicago will play their next game on the road against L.A. Clippers. The Bulls have a W/L % of .538 after a win and .632 after a loss.