Thursday night marked the final home game of January for the Los Angeles Lakers, who played host to the Chicago Bulls at Crypto.com Arena.
This was a game the Lakers desperately needed to win, considering their recent struggles. Fortunately, they did just that, cruising to a 141-132 victory on the strength of D’Angelo Russell’s outstanding play.
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LeBron James missed the previous game for the Lakers but quickly made up for lost time in this one by burying a corner triple to begin proceedings. Nevertheless, former Laker Alex Caruso also got off to a good start for the Bulls, scoring eight consecutive points to establish a 1-0 lead.
However, the Lakers responded with three-pointers Austin Reaves, Taurean Prince, and Russell all making baskets to counter Caruso’s early surge.
Following an initial sluggish start offensively, Anthony Davis and Rui Hachimura both responded with two buckets, with the Bulls maintaining a slender 32-31 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Jarred Vanderbilt, who typically does not contribute significantly to the Lakers’ offense, did so in this contest with 22 points in his first shift. During the second half, he assisted the team in regaining the lead with a corner triple and two dunks.
The Lakers’ run was extended when James and Hachimura each made three-pointers in succession. This allowed the Lakers to begin to gain control, and they entered the halftime locker room ahead 73-56 after a 3-pointer by Russell, a midrange shot by James, and a buzzer-beater by Vanderbilt.
Russell maintained his momentum into the third quarter by extending the lead to 20 with a layup and two triples. Russell’s brilliance continued, however, as he raised the audience to its feet with three consecutive three-pointers later in the quarter.
The Lakers held a 112-93 advantage over the Bulls heading into the fourth quarter, after the Lakers defeated them 39-36 despite little defense from either team in that period. Los Angeles tallied 112 points, which matched their three-quarter total for the season.
As the fourth quarter commenced, the Lakers continued to heap it on, with James connecting from deep. Reaves then executed a spectacular transition dunk that energized the audience once more and effectively sealed the game’s outcome.
Although the Bulls managed to narrow their deficit to eight points in the dying moments, the Lakers never faced a significant threat of squandering the game.