LOS ANGELES -- Jimmy Butler had 26 points and 10 rebounds while Derrick Rose added 16 points and seven boards and the Chicago Bulls manhandled the Los Angeles Lakers 114-91 on Thursday night at Staples Center.
The game marked the return of Pau Gasol to Los Angeles where he played for 6 1/2 seasons and won two NBA titles. Gasol finished with 21 points, 12 rebounds and seven dimes, barely missing a triple-double performance.
Kobe Bryant had high praise for his former teammate.
"It was his intelligence and his ability to communicate clearly," Bryant told the Associated Press. "His ability to have extreme poise, his ability to get his arm around the guys, laugh at them, beat them up verbally, encourage them and bringing them along. It's all those attributes. On top of that, he's just a great player."
Bryant, who will be retiring at season's end, played for 25 minutes and finished with 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting. The Lakers dropped to 9-39, worst in the Western Conference standings.
Jordan Clarkson topped the Lakers with 16 and four assists. Lakers drop to 9-39.
Bulls move up to 26-19.
Kobe finished with 10 pts.
Photo: Jimmy Butler slithers past Roy Hibbert to score 2 of his 26 points Thursday night at Staples Center. The Bulls won, 114-91.
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