Thursday night was an important night for the Los Angeles Lakers as they played their last home game of January against the Chicago Bulls at the Crypto.com Arena. The Lakers were determined to turn their recent struggles around, and they succeeded with an impressive 141-132 victory, thanks to an outstanding performance by D’Angelo Russell.
Although LeBron James had missed their previous game, he quickly made his presence felt by sinking a corner three-pointer at the start of the game. However, it was former Lakers player Alex Caruso who had a strong start for the Bulls, scoring eight consecutive points and giving them an early 1-0 lead.

Nevertheless, the Lakers retaliated swiftly as they found their rhythm from beyond the arc, with Austin Reaves, Taurean Prince, and Russell all netting three-pointers to nullify Caruso’s impressive early performance. Despite their slow offensive start, Anthony Davis and Rui Hachimura quickly recovered by scoring two baskets each, resulting in the Bulls holding onto a slim 32-31 lead by the close of the first quarter.

Jarred Vanderbilt, known for not being a major offensive contributor for the Lakers, surprised everyone by scoring 22 points during his first stint on the court. His impressive performance included a crucial three-point shot from the corner and two powerful dunks, assisting the team in reclaiming the lead during the second half.

The Lakers’ momentum continued to grow as both LeBron James and Rui Hachimura made back-to-back three-pointers, giving the team even more control over the game. As the first half came to an end, the Lakers found themselves comfortably ahead with a score of 73-56. This lead was secured by a three-pointer from D’Angelo Russell, a smooth midrange shot from LeBron James, and a thrilling buzzer-beater from Jarred Vanderbilt.

Russell’s exceptional performance carried over into the third quarter as he increased the Lakers’ lead to 20 points with a layup and two successful three-pointers. Even more impressively, Russell thrilled the crowd by scoring three consecutive three-pointers later in the quarter.

Heading into the fourth quarter, the Lakers held a commanding 112-93 advantage over the Bulls. Although both teams lacked strong defensive efforts, the Lakers managed to outscore the Bulls 39-36 in that period. Surprisingly, the Lakers’ total of 112 points matched their combined score from the previous three quarters, a remarkable feat for the team.

As the final quarter began, the Lakers kept piling on the pressure, with James sinking a remarkable three-point shot. Following that, Reaves astonished the crowd with an incredible dunk during a fast break, reigniting the audience’s excitement and ultimately securing the victory for the Lakers. Despite the Bulls managing to reduce their point gap to just eight in the closing minutes, the Lakers never encountered a considerable risk of losing the game.