Where to start? LA coughed up a season-high 24 turnovers, clanked 12 free throws, connected on only two 3-pointers, and shot less than 41 percent from the field. The team clearly celebrated Julius Randle’s 22nd birthday with a few Bud Light Straw-ber-ritas on the plane last night, because they played like a bunch of hungover dudes sweating out a run at 24-Hour Fitness.
But as basketball rabbi Stu Lantz said in the closing seconds, “somehow you have to learn how to win the ugly games.” The Lakers did this by outworking Chicago on the glass, holding a 60-46 rebounding advantage, and playing stellar defense in the fourth quarter, limiting the Bulls to only 17 points.