OCEANSIDE — After losing to the South Bay Lakers on Wednesday night, the San Diego Clippers returned from El Segundo to take on the Windy City Bulls in the second leg of a back-to-back Thursday at Frontwave Arena. With a shorthanded roster and tired legs, San Diego struggled to keep pace, falling 131–104.

The Clippers quietly picked up Pierre Crockrell prior to the Lakers game, and the guard logged 10 minutes in that matchup before seeing additional run against Windy City with Jaelen House inactive. The signing was less about experimentation and more about necessity. January is often a grind for G League teams, and San Diego is feeling it as much as anyone. The Clippers haven’t had their two-way players in weeks, with Jordan Miller and Kobe Sanders essentially full-time with the LA Clippers, TyTy Washington Jr. being called up, and Yanic Niederhouser and Cam Christie not on assignment. Entering Thursday, San Diego was operating at the bare minimum roster requirement.

That reality showed early. Windy City jumped out to a 31–23 lead after the first quarter. The Clippers briefly found momentum in the second quarter, trimming the deficit to single digits, but the Bulls quickly regrouped and pushed the lead to 68–54 by halftime. Hunter Sallis led San Diego with 15 points at the break and continued to be the Clippers’ most consistent offensive option throughout the night. The third quarter brought some life back into the building as San Diego cut the lead to eight midway through the period, but Windy City answered with a decisive run to regain control heading into the fourth. It wasn’t much of a battle as the Bulls outscored the Clippers 32-21 in the final 12 minutes to take the win.

Sallis finished with a career-high 22 points, shouldering a heavy workload for a depleted squad.

Clippers blown out by Bulls.

Hunter Sallas new career high 22 points, they play Mexico City tomorrow.

— Jared Knobloch (@jknobloch8) January 16, 2026

“It’s been about a week now (that I’ve been with the team),” said Sallis. “It’s just me finding my rhythm and starting to gel more with the team.”

Patrick Baldwin Jr. added 16 points and four assists, while Jahmyl Telfort contributed 15 points and six rebounds. Japanese fan-favorite Yuki Kawamura returned for the Bulls and had two points and seven assists, though he was on a minutes restriction. NBA Dunk Contest Champion Mac McClung finished with 29 points and nine rebounds.

Sallis said of the team’s fatigue, “That’s definitely been (a contributing factor). We’re long bodies and having a back-to-back — we’re definitely tired but that’s part of the G League.” Despite the result, Sallis’ growing role continues to grow out as he finds his footing within the lineup. “My teammates tell me to stay aggressive, and they help me through different actions and things I didn’t know. They’ve definitely helped me a lot (thus far),” he said.

San Diego drops to 4–7 on the season and will look to regroup as they take on the Mexico City Capitanes on January 18.