After a loss to the L.A. Clippers, the Los Angeles Lakers hosted the Chicago Bulls for their final home game of the month of January.
The Lakers were embarrassed by the Bulls last month but made sure there wouldn’t be a repeat performance as they got their revenge with a 141-132 win. It was a solid win for a Lakers team that needs all the positivity it can get after being mired in rumors and trade deadline drama the past few weeks.
D’Angelo Russell has been at the heart of the Lakers-related trade rumors because of his up-and-down play and contract structure. However, Russell has been on an absolute tear shooting the basketball and he continued his scorching shooting against the Bulls.
The guard was a constant source of scoring for Los Angeles as he was aggressive looking for his jump shot and took advantage of all the open looks he got. Russell led the Lakers in scoring with 29 points on 10-of-18 shooting, including a blistering 8-of-13 from downtown.
Russell took over the third quarter with his outside shooting and hit several difficult threes that got the bench and the crowd on their feet.
While Russell was the offensive star of the night, Jarred Vanderbilt’s energy and hustle on the defensive end helped change the tide of the game in the first half. Vanderbilt’s looked more like himself in recent weeks and his defensive quickness and awareness led to some fun fast break opportunities for Los Angeles.
Vanderbilt was seemingly everywhere in the second quarter as he made plays on both ends of the floor. The forward was unusually confident shooting the basketball as he ended the night with 17 points to go along with five rebounds, three steals and one block in 27 minutes.
With Russell and even Vanderbilt scoring well, LeBron James didn’t have to do as much of the heavy lifting offensively. However, James still got his own against the Bulls as he had his jumper going from beyond the arc. He was also his usual self in transition, bullying defenders towards the rim.
James pitched in a double-double of 25 points and 12 assists along with two steals while Anthony Davis had 22 points, 11 rebounds and six assists.
What’s next for Lakers
The Lakers’ homestand is finally over and the team now embarks on a six-game road trip starting against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday. They’ll travel Texas to play the Houston Rockets on Monday before heading east to visit the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday.
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