The shorthanded Lakers got key contributions from Isaiah Thomas and Carmelo Anthony — two guys who were out of the NBA a short time ago — along with a 31-point performance from LeBron James, but DeMar DeRozan’s 38 points were too much to handle as the Chicago Bulls beat the Lakers 115-110.
With just one healthy center in DeAndre Jordan, the Lakers again struggled to take care of the ball and protect the paint, committing 19 turnovers and giving up 16 offensive rebounds — several of which came down the stretch as the Bulls did just enough to pull away.