LeBron James #6, D’Angelo Russell #1 and Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrate against the Chicago Bulls during the second half at United Center on March 29, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. Michael Reaves/Getty Images/AFP
Anthony Davis had 38 points and 10 rebounds and LeBron James added 25 points to boost the visiting Los Angeles Lakers to a 121-110 win against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night.
Davis and James were a combined 23-for-39 (58.9 percent) from the floor and teamed for 17 boards as Los Angeles avenged Sunday’s home loss to Chicago. The Lakers (38-38) won for the fourth time in five games to tie New Orleans for eighth place in the Western Conference.
Despite losing their second straight, the Bulls (36-40) maintained a two-game lead on Washington for the No. 10 seed in the East and the final slot in the conference play-in tournament.
Nikola Vucevic registered a double-double of 29 points and 12 rebounds for Chicago. DeMar DeRozan (22 points), Coby White (17), Zach LaVine (16) and Ayo Dosunmu (12) also finished with double digits. White dished a game-high nine assists.
Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers rebounds against the Chicago Bulls during the second half at United Center on March 29, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. Michael Reaves/Getty Images/AFP
Austin Reaves scored 19 points for Los Angeles. D’Angelo Russell, who had missed the past two games with right hip soreness, added 17 points for the Lakers in the opener of a five-game road trip. Jarred Vanderbilt had seven rebounds.
Balanced scoring and steady rebounding boosted Los Angeles to a 59-51 halftime lead. Davis led the team with 16 points, while James (13) and Reaves (12) followed. The Lakers scored 17 second-chance points in the first half.
Vucevic scored 19 points before intermission and DeRozan chipped in 11. LaVine was whistled for three first-half fouls for the Bulls, who showed resilience to stick around. After trailing 27-10 in the early going, Chicago later rallied to take a 35-34 lead.
A dominant performance by AD 😤
38 points
10 rebounds
65% FGLakers got the W in Chicago pic.twitter.com/4GF6yTbUti
— NBA (@NBA) March 30, 2023
The loss snapped a three-game series winning streak for the Bulls, who haven’t defeated the Lakers in four straight games since the 1991 NBA Finals.
Los Angeles has won nine of 12 against Chicago.
Andre Drummond missed the game for the Bulls due to personal reasons. Drummond previously had tweeted his intent to delete social media to focus on his mental health.