The Los Angeles Lakers fell to 16-15 on the season after losing to the Chicago Bulls, 115-110.
Both teams played without key stars. Chicago didn’t have Zach LaVine while the Lakers didn’t have Anthony Davis. DeMar DeRozan, however, returned from health and safety protocol and delivered a big-time performance with 38 points on 16-of-17 free-throw shooting.
The Lakers could’ve won this game, especially considering they had a lead in the fourth until they allowed the Bulls to go on a 10-2 run and get back in it.
Los Angeles also turned the ball over 20 times, leading to 29 points for Chicago. L.A. also shot 14-of-22 (63.6%) from the line, a miserable percentage that could’ve altered the outcome.
LeBron James’ 31-point effort wasn’t enough in the end as DeRozan sealed the deal.
Here is how the Lakers graded individually from the loss:
Russell Westbrook: C
Russell Westbrook dropped a solid 20-point, nine-rebound, eight-assist night to go with two blocks and a steal, but he was erratic on offense for long spurts. He shot 9-of-19 overall, 0-of-2 from deep and 2-of-6 from the stripe. That, paired with six turnovers and some poor defensive play, led to a C grade. He also missed a layup short in the final minute with Nikola Vucevic guarding him.
Isaiah Thomas: B-minus
Isaiah Thomas got the starting nod and scored 13 points (5-of-11 overall, 3-of-7 from deep) with a blend of pull-up shooting, too. He looked comfortable navigating on offense but often lagged a step on defense, leading to relatively open looks for the Bulls.
Wayne Ellington had six points, four rebounds and three assists in 36 minutes while hitting 2-of-5 from deep. A 40% clip is certainly solid, but he also missed the potential game-tying shot in the final seconds.
LeBron James: B-plus
LeBron James, almost quietly, delivered a 31-point, 14-rebound, six-assist, two-block and one-steal outing. His scoring improved in the second half when he began hunting for mismatches against smaller opponents, but he also should’ve been more aggressive in pursuit of his own basket rather than passing out of the post, which led to turnovers and deflections. He also shot 1-of-7 from deep.
DeAndre Jordan put up nine points, seven rebounds and a block on 4-of-5 shooting, but that doesn’t reflect his play. He was often lethargic on the defensive end and allowed Chicago to shoot uncontested jumpers and passed out of the dunker spot instead of going up to shoot. Jordan did not start the second half after opening the game, which was the right call.
Carmelo Anthony: B-plus
Carmelo Anthony had a solid overall game, though not perfect. He scored 21 points on 5-of-12 3-point shooting, including five rebounds, two steals, two blocks and an assist. He settled for tough jumpers where he could’ve passed, but that’s what Melo does. Still, he accounted for 21 of the 31 bench points and needed to play for L.A. to have a chance. His 3-pointers in the fourth quarter were huge.
Rajon Rondo: C-minus
Rajon Rondo played 24 minutes with all of the guards out. He started strong and looked poised but that didn’t always hold up. He finished with five points (2-of-2 FG), four assists, three rebounds, one steal and a block but turned it over four times.
Trevor Ariza: C
Trevor Ariza played 15 minutes in his season debut. The 36-year-old veteran entered the rotation and most notably hit a triple from the left corner, his only attempt of the game. He clearly needs to get his legs under him because the lateral quickness and general defensive movement looked extremely iffy, but that should change with more minutes under his belt. The Lakers also ran center-less lineups with LeBron, Carmelo and Ariza all playing together, and that could be something to build on with Davis sidelined.
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