Two nights after a blowout loss to the Bulls, the Los Angeles Lakers finally got healthy again for Saturday's matchup against the Chicago Bulls at the Crypto.com arena. LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Rui Hachimura, and Austin Reaves were all in uniform for the Purple and Gold as they looked to secure their 44th win this season.
At ninth in the East, the Chicago Bulls aren't considered a contender this season but they sure looked like one tonight after blowing the Lakers out on their home floor (146-115). The first three quarters were down to the wire, with both teams trading buckets until the Bulls took control in the third with a 15-point lead.
Coby White was the leading scorer in the game with 36 points, three rebounds, and two assists on 70.6% shooting. Matas Buzelis was second in scoring for the Bulls with 31 points, two rebounds, and one assist on 66.7% shooting while Josh Giddey dropped a triple-double of 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 17 assists on 45.5% shooting.
Luka Doncic has the hot hand for the Lakers with 34 points, eight rebounds, and six assists on 55.6% shooting. Austin Reaves dropped 25 points, two rebounds, and five assists on 69.2% shooting while LeBron James had an off-night with 17 points, six rebounds, four assists, and three steals on 43.8% shooting.
When it was announced that the Lakers would have their full lineup for tonight most fans assumed that they would be ready to pick up right where they left off earlier in the season. Clearly, that's not the case after a miserable performance against the lowly Bulls. With so many players missing time, it seems the Lakers are still a little rusty and tonight they didn't play with the kind of energy that we've come to expect from them.
Turnover Problems
In his first game back with the Lakers, it was only natural for Luka Doncic to re-take the reigns of the offense but he struggled to get on the same page with his teammates. Early turnovers in the first half allowed the Bulls to get hot and they rode the momentum to the win.
In total, the Lakers had 21 turnovers in the game, which led to 27 points for the Bulls. Luka Doncic had seven turnovers by himself, which is approaching his career high of 10. With sloppy and careless play like that, it's no wonder why the Lakers struggled to keep up with the competition.
Besides being predictable and repetitive, the Lakers' offense was stagnant tonight and failed to generate any traction. As the 20th-ranked team in the league for turnover rate, taking care of the ball has been a recurring issue all season and it hasn't gotten better since adding Luka to the mix.
Poor Defensive Effort
Defense has been the recipe for success in Los Angeles but they struggled to contain the Bulls tonight. They scored a season-high 146 points on the Lakers, going 56-96 from the field (58.3%) and 19-41 from three (46.3%).
Fans were quick to call out the team's lack of effort defensively, as it's ultimately what cost them the game. They failed to communicate, missed coverages, and were a step too slow all night long. The Lakers never really stood a chance with the Bulls scoring so easily and the game was out of reach by the end of the third quarter.
Nobody knows what happened to the Lakers' defense tonight but they lost their identity and were exposed to an ugly degree. It's the most points the Lakers have allowed all season and they must play better going forward if they want to keep their standing in the West.
Forgettable Night For King James
It was big news for the Lakers when LeBron James returned from his groin injury tonight. It's been weeks since he played and he's been having a stellar season with averages of 25.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 8.5 assists per game on 51.7% shooting.
Whether he was rusty, distracted, or simply well-defended, LeBron was completely out of rhythm tonight and it limited what the Lakers could do on the floor. In 31 minutes, LeBron put up 17 points, six rebounds, four assists, and three steals on 43.8% shooting.
At 40 years old, these types of nights are to be expected from LeBron but it's hard for the Lakers to win when he's not playing up to his elite standards. He'll need to be better for the team to pick up some momentum going into the playoffs.
Without a doubt, this was probably the worst the Lakers have played in the LeBron/Luka era. They were pretty bad on both ends of the floor tonight and the fans were extremely disappointed in their effort all around. Fortunately, they'll have a chance to set things right on Monday against the Orlando Magic.
