LOS ANGELES — Coby White scored 36 points, Josh Giddey flirted with a quadruple-double and the Chicago Bulls wrecked LeBron James’ return from injury with an impressive 146-115 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night.
Luka Dončić scored 29 of his 34 points in the first half and hit eight 3-pointers, while James had 17 points after a seven-game absence.
Neither superstar could do a thing to slow the Bulls, who scorched the Lakers’ normally sturdy defense on the way to their seventh win in nine games. Their 146 points were 12 more than the Lakers had allowed in any game this season.
Matas Buzelis scored a career-high 31 points for the Bulls, and Giddey finished with 15 points, 17 assists, 10 rebounds and eight steals. White — who scored 35 points Thursday in a win over the Sacramento Kings — was dominant again while hitting six 3-pointers, and eight Bulls scored at least nine points on the fifth stop of a six-game trip.
Austin Reaves scored 25 points for the Lakers.
Rui Hachimura made his return from a 12-game absence from a knee injury, making the Lakers’ roster largely whole — but they then played perhaps their worst defensive game.
Takeaways
Bulls: It was one of their best performances of the season, particularly in their fifth road game in eight nights while playing without injured starter Tre Jones. They hold the No. 9 seed in the Eastern Conference, 1½ games ahead of the Miami Heat.
Lakers: An exhausting two weeks ended discouragingly. James missed two weeks with a strained left groin, and the Lakers clearly need time to get back to their preinjury form.
Key moment
Reaves and Dončić kept it close through halftime, but White scored 12 points while the Bulls steadily pulled away with a 39-point third quarter.
Key stat
Dončić scored at least 29 points for the ninth time in his last 11 games.
Up next
On Monday, the Bulls finish their trip in Denver and the Lakers begin a four-game trip in Orlando, Fla.
