LOS ANGELES (AP) – LeBron James had 28 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, and the Los Angeles Lakers overcame the absence of two injured in the 117-115 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Friday night.
Zach LaVine scored 38 points, but the UCLA product missed a 17-foot jump with 4.7 seconds remaining that would put Chicago ahead.
Montrezl Harrell had 17 points and 14 rebounds for the defending NBA champion, who won five out of six. James and Harrell led the way as Los Angeles held the Bulls in the home stretch without injured Anthony Davis and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
LaVine scored 19 points in the first quarter for the Bulls, who lost two straight games in California after an impressive victory in Portland.
Dennis Schroder scored 17 points and hit a 3-pointer with 2:39 to place the Lakers at 113-107, but Chicago reduced the lead to 116-115 with Garrett Temple’s 3-pointer with 37 seconds remaining.
James missed an extra long 3-point ball to put the game in the hands of Chicago, but LaVine missed his contested shot and his teammates threw the ball out of bounds.
Wesley Matthews scored 14 points out of four points out of 3 in the 34-year-old rookie’s first game for the Lakers.
Wendell Carter Jr. scored 23 points, the best of the season, and Thaddeus Young, 15 for Chicago.
The Lakers continued with a defensive performance almost lifeless, while losing to San Antonio on Thursday, with another meaningless effort in the first half. LaVine scored 8 to 8 in a dynamic first quarter, and Carter scored 12 points in the third.
TIP-INS
Bulls: Otto Porter Jr. did not return for the second half after having spasms in his back. He played six minutes. … The teams meet again on January 23 in Chicago. … Lauri Markkanen, Tomas Satoransky, Ryan Arcidiacono and Chandler Hutchison stayed home from their trip to the West Coast due to coronavirus protocols.
Lakers: Davis lost his second game of the season, missing out with a certain adductor strain. The big superstar was unable to let go during training before the game. … Markieff Morris scored 11 points when starting in Davis’s place. … Caldwell-Pope missed out on his fourth consecutive game with a sprained left ankle.
PRACTICALLY PERFECT
The teams combined to make their first 30 free throws before James missed with 5:19 to play. Only four games in NBA history were completed without a failed free throw.
NEXT
Bulls: No Clippers on Sunday.
Lakers: At the Rockets on Sunday.
—
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports