Lakers Final Score: LA's Stars Shine Bright In Huge 121-110 Win Over Bulls
Tonight, your Los Angeles Lakers, powered by their two best players, wrought their vengeance against a Chicago Bulls team that looked totally out-of-sorts on its home floor.
Starting what its ideal playoff first five for the first time this season, the Lakers ran roughshod over Chicago from the opening tip. Armed with a healthy D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, LeBron James, Jarred Vanderbilt and Anthony Davis from the jump, LA got off to a 27-10 start, before a late Bulls rally made the final first quarter tally look a bit more respectable, sort of, at 31-20. Davis was a big part of that first quarter push:
The Lakers went into the contest with a revised plan of attack defensively, determined to double-team Bulls stars DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine as frequently as possible, and seal off driving lanes so Chicago would be forced to try its luck with jumpers. The result: Nikola Vucevic had a Bulls-high 29 points and 12 rebounds, plus six assists.
Powered mostly by a bench + DeRozan lineup, Chicago mounted a comeback at the beginning of the game's second quarter, riding a 19-6 tear to take a 39-37 lead midway through the frame. Starting Bulls shooting guard LaVine was reinserted into the rotation at the end of that run, and took that opportunity to pull off this snazzy running dunk:
Both players traded buckets for a bit. Chicago carved out another marginal lead, 51-49, before a 10-0 Lakers run help LA close out the half on top 59-51. LeBron James put the finishing touches on that stretch:
LA got to work in the third quarter, scoring all over the floor to build up a lead of as much as 18 points halfway through the period. The Bulls closed the frame on a 13-4 tear to chip away at the Lakers' advantage. Los Angeles held on to a nine-point lead, 85-76, heading into the fourth frame.
In a game of runs, a 9-0 Los Angeles run at the top of the fourth helped the Lakers recover their 18-point cushion, and things never got particularly close again after that. Austin Reaves got some vengeance on Patrick Beverley for his "too small" viral moment Sunday, with a "too small" take of his own:
The Lakers finished with a convincing 121-110 victory. Anthony Davis (38 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks) and LeBron James (25 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two steals) led the way for LA. Austin Reaves (19 points on 7-of-8 shooting) and D'Angelo Russell (17 points on 7-of-12 shooting) were LA's only other scorers in double digits.
With the win, LA improves to a 38-38 record on the year. That mark moves the Lakers up to the eighth seed in the Western Conference, as they own the tiebreak over the 38-38 New Orleans Pelicans.
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