Lakers Beat Bulls Behind Gasol’s 34

The Bulls hung tough in the first half against the Los Angeles Lakers last night, but the third quarter saw the Lakers pull away.  Despite a valiant fourth quarter effort by Chicago, the Lake Show came away with the victory 116-109.  L.A. forward Pau Gasol hurt the Bulls time and time again on the inside during this contest, finishing with 34 points on the night.  Lakers center Andrew Bynum also fared well in this game, notching 18 points and nine rebounds.  It’s clear that the Bulls need some help inside.  Starters Drew Gooden and Joakim Noah combined for a paltry 11 points and 12 rebounds.

Super rookie Derrick Rose continued to shine despite the losing effort.  The point guard scored 25 points and dished out nine assists, raising his season averages to 19.5 points per game and 5.9 assisters per game.  Ben Gordon chipped in 23 points, but was just 6 of 22 from the field and 3 of 11 from three point land.  Luol Deng chipped in 11, but has certainly been a disappointment after landing a huge contract with the team in the offseason.  Rose seems to be the only guy who consistently contributes solidly every night, which is not going to be enough for the Bulls to make the playoffs.

Get all your Chicago Bulls tickets at Stubhub.com.