The Los Angeles Lakers looked to be in control of the game on Thursday night against the Chicago Bulls. Then, an unreal sequence ensued, and Josh Giddey's half-court heave at the buzzer gave the Bulls the 199-117 win over the Lakers.
The Lakers were outscored 44-26 in the fourth quarter on Thursday, and it was a concerning end to the game for LA. The Giddey game-winner left everybody stunned, and now, the Lakers have dropped four of their last five games with the lone win coming on a LeBron James buzzer-beater against the Indiana Pacers.
On Friday, Stephen A. Smith and Kendrick Perkins discussed the Lakers' woes during an episode of First Take, and Perkins admitted why LA is in trouble.
“The Lakers are in trouble. The Lakers are in trouble,” Perkins stated twice to begin the clip. “That was a game last night that they needed to win and they were supposed to win…They are 2.5 games back of being in the play-in tournament.”
"The Lakers are in trouble." 😳 @KendrickPerkins and @stephenasmith react to the final seconds of the Lakers' 119-117 loss to the Bulls. pic.twitter.com/rUysIVSGFi
— First Take (@FirstTake) March 28, 2025
“Here's the most important thing, LeBron James is not healthy. I think he's probably 70-75%,” Perkins added.
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Smith then added the “Lakers should lose five of their next six games” with a brutal stretch coming up.
They face the Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors, New Orleans Pelicans and Oklahoma City Thunder twice before ending the year aginst the Dallas Mavericks, Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers.
The Lakers were the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference just after acquiring Luka Doncic in a trade, but now they have lost eight games in March and sit at 44-29 overall, which is tied for 4th in the Western Conference.
James missed two weeks after suffering a calf strain, but he returned on March 22 and has played heavy minutes over the past four games. Still, things have taken a turn in the wrong direction for the team, and only time will tell if they can turn things around or not.
