Morning Box Score: Bulls Fall Short in LA

By Chuck Sudo in News on Nov 24, 2010 3:40PM

Lakers 98, Bulls 91: Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson all showed why they're the foundation of this Bulls team, but it wasn't enough as they fell to the defending NBA champs at the Staples Center. Rose led all scorers with 30, Noah added 19 points and 13 rebounds and Gibson 16 points and 12 boards, but Luol Deng reverted to his one-quarter All-Star status and the Lakers' bench outscored their Bulls counterparts 39-10, shooting 50 percent to the Bulls' 16.6 percent in the process.

The Bulls actually had an 81-79 lead in the fourth quarter, but Phil Jackson went with a small lineup that sparked a 17-2 run. The Bulls head to Phoenix tonight.