Bulls Fall 142-130 to Lakers Despite Giddey's 15-Assist Night

On Thursday night, the Chicago Bulls were looking to string together back-to-back wins for the first time since late January. Unfortunately for the Bulls, Luka Doncic had other things in mind.

A game that started as Bulls vs. Los Angeles Lakers quickly devolved into Buzelis vs. Doncic as the two stars were going at each other with their trash talk and their play. Several quarters, and 51-Luka-Doncic-points later, both he and the Lakers came out with wins.

Buzelis didn't shy away from the showdown, scoring 17 points in the first half, but finishing with 22 as he cooled off in the second half. Nevertheless, Buzelis' scoring was as key to the Bulls' effort as Giddey's continued, stellar playmaking. The 6-foot-7 Australian guard racked up 10 assists in the first half alone, on his way to 27 points, 15 assists, 8 rebounds, 2 steals and 6 turnovers.

With Giddey and Buzelis again stepping up for the injury-depleted Bulls, they were able to help Chicago keep the deficit within single digits (trailed 67-65 at half) heading into halftime. But the story of the game was Lakers star Luka Doncic, whose aforementioned 51 points led Los Angeles to the win. 

Doncic went 10-16 from the field over the second and third quarters combined, a stretch that the Lakers won 82-72. That run essentially decided the game, with the Bulls unable to mount a real comeback effort as the damage had been done. 

Nick Richards provided solid inside scoring off the bench for Chicago (15 points on 7-9 FG), but his defense left a lot to be desired as the Lakers were repeatedly able to isolate and attack him in space. It's fair to say the Bulls should be keeping Richards out of these mismatches in the first place, but as long as they aren't, he has to provide a bit more resistance on the perimeter.

Chicago got a nice contribution from their bench outside of Richards, with Yuki Kawamura and Rob Dillingham providing great energy. Dillingham--who has struggled mightily as of late--scored 12 points to go with 5 rebounds, 7 assists, and finished as a team-high +10 across 29 minutes of action, his highest minute total since February 11.

Kawamura posted a mere 3 points and 2 assists over `10 minutes (+7) but had perhaps the highlight of the night with an off the glass alley-oop to Buzelis following a Lakers turnover. 

Chicago put up a valiant effort considering they were playing small all night. Lineups featuring Tre Jones, Dillingham and/or Kawamura put the Bulls at a big disadvantage on the offensive glass. The Lakers collected 14 offensive rebounds, with Deandre Ayton accounting for almost half (6) of those boards.

There is, of course, no shame in the Bulls losing to the Lakers and a red-hot, motivated Doncic. But this loss surely stings more for Chicago considering that the game was in reach for most of the night.

Buzelis continued to take on a larger role on offense, leading the Bulls with 19 FGAs on the evening. But Buzelis is clearly starting to run out of gas as the minutes and shot attempts start to pile up in his role as the leading man. He went 1-8 from the field in the second half after his 17-point first half, and played 35 minutes overall.

It will be interesting to see how Buzelis and Giddey respond in Friday's matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers, as it won't be easy to bounce back against a Clippers team that is on a three-game winning streak and playing some of their best basketball as of late.