LeBron James poured in 20 of his 24 points in the first half, helping Los Angeles improve to 3-1 on its eight-game road trip. Rui Hachimura also played efficiently, finishing with 23 points on 9-for-11 shooting, News.Az reports, citing AP.
The win marked a reversal from last season, when the Lakers were swept by Chicago in their two-game series. That included a dramatic 119-117 loss at the United Center on Josh Giddey’s half-court buzzer-beater.
Coby White led Chicago with 23 points on Monday night, while Ayo Dosunmu added 20. The Bulls entered the game having won four straight and five of their previous six contests.
Chicago continued its strong perimeter shooting, going 18-for-49 from three-point range. The Bulls have now made at least 17 three-pointers in each of their last five games.
Los Angeles built a lead of as many as 20 points, but Chicago rallied and cut the deficit to 81-80 on Nikola Vučević’s two free throws with 6:42 remaining in the third quarter.
The Lakers responded quickly. Marcus Smart completed a three-point play, Dončić followed with two free throws, and Hachimura knocked down a three-pointer to push the lead back to 89-80 with 4:38 left in the period.
Dončić then buried a three and added another free throw to send Los Angeles into the fourth quarter with a 104-89 advantage. He scored 20 points in the third quarter alone, shooting 6-for-9 from the field.
Overall, the Lakers shot 56 percent (46 of 82) from the floor, including 16-for-33 from beyond the arc.
Chicago had six players reach double figures. Vučević posted 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Giddey finished with 19 points.
Los Angeles seized control with a 25-6 run that began late in the first quarter and extended into the second. James capped the surge with a fast-break dunk that made it 51-37 with 7:19 remaining before halftime.
The Bulls closed the first half on a 7-0 run to trim the margin to 69-56 at the break. Dončić had already tallied 17 points and eight assists in the opening half.
Up next:
Lakers: at Cleveland on Wednesday night.
Bulls: at Indiana on Wednesday night.
