On Sunday, the Chicago Bulls came into Crypto.com Arena and dealt the Los Angeles Lakers a somewhat surprising, 118-108, loss by winning the effort categories.
The two teams played again on Wednesday in the Windy City, and this time, Los Angeles was better prepared and more energetic.
It came out sharp and established a 17-point lead in the first quarter. That lead disappeared in the second quarter, but the Lakers responded with a spurt to take a 59-51 lead into halftime. They wouldn’t relinquish control of the game, increasing their advantage and then cruising to a 121-110 victory.
This time around, the Lakers thoroughly outplayed Chicago. They outrebounded it, 45-32, while shooting 30 free throws, compared to just 13 for the home team. Even better, after mustering five fast-break points on Sunday, L.A. managed a solid 19 fast-break points on Wednesday.
This win allowed the Lakers to move up to eighth place in the Western Conference. They’re one game behind the seventh-place Minnesota Timberwolves, who they play next on Friday.
Anthony Davis: A-minus
Davis only took eight shots and scored just 15 points on Sunday, but he returned to his usual dominant self on Wednesday in his hometown of Chicago.
He scored 38 points on 13-of-20 field goal shooting on a nice variety of shots, both at or near the rim and from the perimeter, while also hitting 11-of-14 from the charity stripe. The superstar big man also had 10 rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocked shots.
The reason Davis gets an A-minus instead of an A is that Nikola Vucevic, his opposite number, exploded for 29 points on 12-of-16 shooting. All in all, this was the performance people expect Davis to deliver on a regular basis.
Jarred Vanderbilt: B
Vanderbilt played much better on Wednesday than on Sunday, grabbing seven rebounds and scoring eight points on 3-of-5 shooting, which included two 3-pointers. Defensively, he helped contain DeMar DeRozan, who had a solid game with 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting but didn’t hurt the Lakers as much as he could’ve.
LeBron James: B-plus
In his second game back from a right foot tendon injury, James returned to the starting lineup and played 31 minutes. He was moving normally, and he put up 25 points to go along with seven rebounds, four assists and two steals.
He often let his guards bring the ball upcourt, and moving forward, that will be something that will limit his wear and tear, allow him to conserve his energy and perhaps even reduce his injury risk.
D'Angelo Russell: B-plus
This was a very nice and effective game from Russell, if not a very impressive or outstanding one. He scored 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting while going 2-of-4 from downtown while adding four assists, and his smooth ball-handling and shot-making skills clearly raised L.A.’s game.
Russell had missed the team’s last two games with hip soreness, and it clearly plays significantly better with him in the lineup, especially offensively.
Austin Reaves: A
Reaves remains in the starting lineup even though some might have thought he would revert to his sixth-man role off the bench with James back.
The undrafted wing was very effective as usual, missing one of his eight shots and scoring 19 points to go along with 19 points.
He may have provided the highlight of the game when, with just under three minutes left in the fourth quarter, he hit a one-handed push shot over Patrick Beverley, then gave him the “too small” gesture.
Austin Reaves did the "too small" on Pat Bev 💀 pic.twitter.com/woy0vGIMmt
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 30, 2023
It was revenge for Beverley’s “too small” gesture made toward James late in Sunday’s game.
Rui Hachimura: B-minus
Hachimura did not play on Sunday, but he received 16 minutes on Wednesday and contributed six points on 3-of-6 shooting, plus four rebounds and one assist.
The Lakers need to find a way to utilize him more directly in their halfcourt offense rather than relegate him as a spectator at or beyond the 3-point line. Hachimura is one of the game’s most efficient mid-range players, and that’s a weapon they must exploit, especially when James is resting.
Wenyen Gabriel: C
Gabriel wasn’t much of a factor in this game. He grabbed three rebounds in 10 minutes, but he went scoreless, missing his lone shot attempt.
Troy Brown Jr.: D
In 20 minutes off the bench, Brown missed all three of his shot attempts and went scoreless. His lone contributions on the stat sheet were four rebounds and one steal.
With James back, Brown will need to adjust to coming off the pine and getting fewer minutes with L.A.’s regulars, which may result in fewer open looks. Brown has been shooting the ball very well over the last several weeks, and he must find a way to continue to do so as a reserve.
Dennis Schroder: D-plus
Schroder struggled from the field, going 2-of-7 overall and missing both of his 3-point attempts. He scored eight points, to go along with three rebounds, one assist and one blocked shot.
Malik Beasley: D-minus
The struggle continues for Beasley. He missed all three of his shots on Wednesday and went scoreless, although he did notch two steals, one rebound and one assist.
Davon Reed, Lonnie Walker IV: Incomplete
Reed and Walker both got one minute of playing time toward the end of the game, and neither made any positive contribution on the stat sheet.
