Lakers move back to .500 in win over Bulls.
CHICAGO — The Lakers evened their two-game series with the Bulls on Wednesday, beating Chicago 121–110 to move their record back to .500 at 38–38 and into the 8th seed in the West.
“We understood the assignment,” said LeBron James. “This is the biggest road trip for us at this moment.”
The Lakers got revenge on the Bulls, who beat them easily on Sunday, even getting Patrick Beverly back, who used the “too small” gesture toward LeBron in Sunday’s loss. Austin Reaves gave Beverly a taste of his own medicine, giving him the “too small” gesture toward the end of the ballgame with the Lakers up big.
“That AR always got my back,” said LeBron on the gesture. “Even though he loved Kobe back in the day more than me, I forgive him.”
Back in his hometown, Anthony Davis gave the Lakers a huge lift they lacked in their previous matchup, giving a dominant performance with 38 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and two steals in 38 minutes.
“I always try to come out and perform well and have this moment, especially not just for me but for the family as well,” said Davis.
LeBron showed almost no rust in his second game back from injury, scoring 25 points on 10-for-19 shooting from the floor with seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals in 31 minutes.
Austin Reaves continued his impressive play in the starting lineup with 19 points on a near-perfect 7-for-8 shooting overall, adding five assists, two rebounds, and a steal in 28 minutes of action.
The Lakers welcomed back D’Angelo Russell to the lineup, who missed the previous two games with a hip injury. Russell opened the Lakers' offense with his threat from deep and in the paint, going 2-for-4 from three and 7-for-12 overall, finishing with 17 points, four rebounds, and four assists in 35 minutes.
The Lakers’ next matchup comes this Friday on the road against the Minnesota Timberwolves at 5:00 p.m. on Spectrum SportsNet and NBA TV.
