LeBron James scored 25 points and 12 assists only hours after being voted to his record 20th NBA All-Star team, and the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Chicago Bulls 141-132 on Thursday night.
D’Angelo Russell scored 29 points with eight three-pointers, Anthony Davis had 22 points, and Austin Reaves had 20 points and eight assists. The Lakers won for the fourth time in six games, making 60.9% of their shots.
Los Angeles scored a season-high 112 points through three quarters, building a 24-point advantage that held up until the Bulls’ 39-point fourth quarter. The Lakers’ 141 points and the Bulls’ 132 were both season highs.
Make that 8 triples for D'Lo 🎯
He's scored 17 of his 29 PTS in the 3Q!
Lakers-Bulls | Live on the NBA App
📲 https://t.co/JvqVIsPjZ9 pic.twitter.com/VoWy1BcFM4— NBA (@NBA) January 26, 2024
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.
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.
Although Russell did not score in the fourth, he ended one shy of his career high in 3-pointers, and he continued to complicate the Lakers’ decisions about his future with another excellent performance ahead of 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 outstanding play.
🌪️👑 https://t.co/AOfuf1v7Vg pic.twitter.com/U9z3qfKkGE
— NBA (@NBA) January 26, 2024
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 highest scorer in league history last season, will also start his twentieth All-Star Game.
The Lakers took a 73-57 advantage into halftime after a remarkable 42-point second quarter in which they made 15 of 18 baskets, their best shooting period of the season.
Before the game, Bulls coach Billy Donovan stated that star player Zach LaVine will be out for at least another week as his ankle injury is re-evaluated. The UCLA product was routinely linked to the Lakers in trade speculations early this season.
