Out-of-sync Lakers bullied by Bulls in one-sided slugfest.
The Lakers fall to 8–7 after a huge one-sided slugfest delivered by the Chicago Bulls from start to finish, losing 121–103, as their 3rd quarter woes continue to haunt them. Anthony Davis had an early exit in tonight's game after picking up his second technical midway in the 3rd quarter, which highlighted how horrific the Lakers night went.
In their worst shooting three-point outing this season, the Lakers shot their worst percentage from three on the season in tonight's upsetting loss, finishing on 19% (6 for 32) from beyond the arc.
Talen Horton-Tucker was one of the few bright spots in tonight's loss, as he scored his career-high 28 points on 9 of 19 (47%) shooting while also adding six rebounds and two assists to his total. Horton-Tucker spoke on his career night, saying:
"I was trying to go out there and play hard. We were down, and so trying to keep fighting was the main thing on my mind and give my teammates a boost.
Before exiting in tonight's loss, Anthony Davis saw plenty of double teams and even triple teams at times. The Bulls' aggressive game plan was to keep Davis from having a big night, immediately doubling and fronting him in the post. Davis finished the night with 20 points on 6 of 9 from the floor, adding six rebounds in 27 minutes of action before exiting.
Russell Westbrook started tonight's game hot for the Lakers, scoring 14 points in his first 11 minutes, finishing the night with a stat line of 25 points, eight assists, and six rebounds. If you subtract his percentages from three tonight (as he struggled to go 0–6 from deep), Westbrook shot 8 for 13 (61%) from the field and 9 for 10 (90%) from the foul line in his effort in tonight's tough loss.
The Lakers will begin a five-game road trip starting this Wednesday to face the defending NBA champions, Milwaukee Bucks, as the Lakers look to get back on the win column to gain momentum.