Los Angeles - The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Chicago Bulls 141-132 on Thursday night, with LeBron James scoring 25 points and dishing out 12 assists only hours after being nominated to his record 20th NBA All-Star squad.
D'Angelo Russell scored 29 points with eight 3-pointers, Anthony Davis added 22 points, and Austin Reaves had 20 points and eight assists. Jarred Vanderbilt scored a season-high 17 points, and the Lakers shot 60.9% in their fourth victory in six games.
After making 15 of their 18 shots in a sensational second quarter, the Lakers scored a season-high 112 points through three quarters and held a 24-point advantage, allowing them to weather the Bulls' 39-point fourth quarter.The Lakers' 141 points and the Bulls' 132 were both season highs.
"We're just playing the right way," James explained. "Guys are pretty comfortable out there. We have people who can make shots. We have players that can make plays. Doesn't matter who shoots."
DeMar DeRozan, a Los Angeles native, scored 14 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter, leading six Bulls scorers in double digits. The Bulls have lost the first two games of their three-game West Coast tour. Coby White scored 25 points, Nikola Vucevic had 20, and former Lakers guard Alex Caruso had 17.
"We certainly dug ourselves a hole," Chicago coach Billy Donovan explained. "The foul line proved to be the difference in the game. We fouled them too often. They shot quite good. Turnovers and the end of the second quarter were particularly detrimental."
With this victory, the Lakers finished 6-6 after a 23-day span with only one game outside of Los Angeles. They'll spend the next two weeks on a six-game road trip while the Grammy Awards take over their downtown venue.
Russell did not score in the fourth, but he finished one shy of his career high in 3-pointers, complicating the Lakers' decisions on his future with another great game before the trade deadline.The point guard's deal is highly movable, but Los Angeles must decide whether it can obtain enough in return to shake up its.500 season — especially if Russell can maintain his recent run of excellent performance.
"My confidence is through the roof, and I'm going to keep it there," he said. "I simply try to supplement Bron and AD. I know they can pull us out of games on their own, so I just try to complement them, whether that's shooting, facilitating, or whatever."
On Thursday, James became the first 20-time All-Star in NBA history, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's mark. James, who surpassed Abdul-Jabbar as the league's highest scorer last season, will also make his 20th All-Star appearance in 21 seasons.
"I mean, I've exceeded expectations in my career, so it's just humbling," he remarked. "It's great to be able to receive these comments throughout your career, but I've already outperformed myself in the NBA, and I did it a long time ago. "Everything else is just extra credit."
Before the game, Donovan stated that star guard Zach LaVine will be out for at least another week as his ankle ailment is evaluated. The UCLA product was routinely connected to the Lakers in trade rumours early this season.
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