The Chicago Bulls defeated the LA Lakers 119-117 on Thursday at United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Josh Giddey delivered a game-winning basket from half-court.
Giddey’s game-winner capped off an impressive night wherein he had a triple-double performance. He finished with 25 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists. He shot 8-for-19, including 4-for-9 from the 3-point line.
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Coby White led seven Bulls in double figures with 26 points. He also had nine assists and went 9-for-20, including 5-for-10 from beyond the arc. Kevin Huerter finished with 21 points, six boards and five assists on 8-for-17 shooting (5-for-10 from downtown). Nikola Vucevic added 14 points and eight rebounds on 6-for-10 shooting.
Matas Buzelis added 12 points and seven boards. Off the bench, Patrick Williams had 11 points, five rebounds and four assists, while Zach Collins contributed 10 points (5-for-5 shooting).
Austin Reaves led the Lakers with 30 points and three assists on 10-for-17 shooting (3-for-9 on 3-pointers). Luka Doncic finished with 25 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. He shot 8-for-22, including 4-for-12 from the 3-point line. LeBron James had 17 points, 12 assists and five rebounds on 8-for-20 shooting, while Jaxson Hayes added 19 points (9-for-11) and eight boards.
The Bulls extended their winning streak to four games. They improved to 33-40 and sit at No. 9 in the Eastern Conference. Chicago is a game up of 10th-placed Miami Heat (32-41), who also won on Thursday. The Bulls have won eight of their previous 10 and are two games behind No. 7 Atlanta Hawks (35-38).
The Lakers dropped to 44-29. They are still tied with the Memphis Grizzlies for No. 4 in the Western Conference, as the Grizzlies also lost on Thursday. The top four seeds will enjoy home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Third-placed Denver Nuggets (46-28) have a one-and-a-half-game lead over the Lakers.
LA Lakers vs. Chicago Bulls player stats and box score
LA Lakers player stats and box score
Chicago Bulls player stats and box score
LA Lakers vs. Chicago Bulls game summary
At the end of the first quarter, the Chicago Bulls had a 32-22 lead over the LA Lakers. Luka Doncic led LA with seven points on 2-for-6 shooting (1-for-3 from the 3-point line). Coby White had seven points (2-for-4 shooting) for Chicago.
The Lakers outscored Chicago 37-26 in the second quarter to take a 59-58 lead into the halftime break. Austin Reaves scored 12 of his 14 points in the quarter on 4-for-6 shooting. Jaxson Hayes also had 14 points to go along with five boards (7-for-9 shooting). LeBron James had 10 points, five rebounds and seven assists.
On the flip side, Josh Giddey had 12 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the Bulls. He shot 4-for-9, including 2-for-4 on 3-pointers. White added 11 points and two assists.
LA dominated Chicago in the third quarter, outscoring them 32-17. The Lakers had a 91-75 lead heading into the final frame.
Down the stretch, Kevin Huerter’s pull-up 3-pointer brought Chicago within one with 46 seconds remaining. However, Reaves gave the Lakers a bit of breathing room in the following possession, 113-110. After Reaves hit a couple of free throws, the Bulls knocked down 3-pointers from Patrick Williams and White back-to-back.
The Bulls led 116-115 with 6.1 seconds. After a timeout, Reaves had a quick basket to give his team the lead. However, Giddey hit a hail mary from half-court at the buzzer.
Chicago outscored the LA Lakers 44-26 in the fourth quarter en route its 33rd victory this season.
Edited by Kim Daniel Rubinos
