The early bird can improve his playoff position, at least this weekend, when the Los Angeles Clippers playing the first of back-to-back home games Saturday against the Chicago Bulls.
The Clippers not only have to set the clock before Saturday afternoon’s game against the Bulls, but also face the Milwaukee Bucks in a Sunday opener.
Los Angeles has had some inconsistent results as of late in its quest to climb to the top of the Western Conference standings. Fourth in the West at the start of Friday’s game, the Clippers are just 6-6 since Feb. 7 after finally moving into first place.
But Los Angeles has won three of its last four games, with the lone loss coming in that stretch at Milwaukee on Monday when the Clippers blew a 15-point lead in the third quarter.
The Clippers bounced back with a 122-116 road win over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday when Kawhi Leonard scored 28 points and Paul George added 21.
Ivica Zubac did not play in the second half due to the effects of a recent illness, with Mason Plumlee coming off the bench to deliver eight points and 11 rebounds, all after halftime. The Clippers outscored the Rockets 78-59 over the final two quarters.
“As much as we would like to adapt to the game from the start of the game, it took us a little while,” Leonard said. “In that second half, we adapted. (The Rockets) were playing faster, more aggressive than us. … We talked about it (for the) second half and we were much better.”
The Clippers’ more aggressive attitude could come in handy against the Bulls, who are on a three-game winning streak, all on a Western Conference road trip that ends Saturday. Chicago followed a 119-117 victory over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday with a 125-122 victory Thursday against the Golden State Warriors.
The Bulls’ DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic each scored 33 points against the Warriors, while Vucevic added 11 rebounds to DeRozan’s eight. Chicago shot 52.9 percent from the floor and 44.4 percent from 3-point range, while limiting Golden State to 26.2 percent from distance.
The Bulls are currently in position to play for the Eastern Conference playoffs and are beginning to pivot between the task at hand that still remains in the regular season with the start of the playoffs in mid-April.
“One of the things I talked to these guys about is if you want to get to a point … where you’re playing meaningful (playoff) games — not to mention the season regular doesn’t make sense — but everyone plays for that moment,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. “There are things that are going to happen in these games, the physicality of the games, the calls are not going to go your way, the ability to bounce the basketball and physically put your body into the plays, loose balls , all these things. “.
The win-at-all-costs spirit was present in the victory against the Warriors, a playoff-tested team led by a two-time MVP in Steph Curry, who was held to 15 points on Thursday while scoring only 3 of 12 3-point range attempts.
Chicago won despite being outscored 48-40 and 14 turnovers that Golden State turned into 22 points.
–Field level media
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