Luka Doncic erupted for 46 points and 12 assists, and LeBron James added 24 as the Los Angeles Lakers pulled away for a 129-118 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Monday night.
Rui Hachimura chipped in 23 points and Marcus Smart scored 12 for the Lakers, who won for the fourth time in five games and snapped Chicago’s four-game winning streak.
The Bulls surged out of halftime, scoring 24 of the first 36 points in the third quarter to trim a 13-point deficit to one. Nikola Vucevic sank two free throws with 6:42 left in the period to cut the margin to 81-80.
Los Angeles responded quickly. Smart completed a three-point play to ignite an 8-0 run that restored control, with Doncic taking over the quarter. He poured in 20 points in the third on 6-for-9 shooting and finished with eight 3-pointers.
Doncic also grabbed seven rebounds, tying Jarred Vanderbilt for the team high, as the Lakers steadied themselves and closed out the win.
Chicago opened the game shooting 16 of 31 from long range but missed 16 of its final 18 attempts.
Coby White led the Bulls with 23 points. Ayo Dosunmu added 20, while Vucevic posted 18 points and 11 rebounds. Josh Giddey totaled 19 points and seven assists, Jalen Smith scored 13 and Matas Buzelis finished with 11.
James was dominant early, scoring 20 points in his most productive first half of the season on 9-for-15 shooting to push the Lakers to a 69-56 halftime lead.
James punctuated the opening quarter with multiple powerful dunks, including a breakaway slam in transition that tied the game at 10.
Doncic followed with 17 first-half points on 6-for-10 shooting as Los Angeles built a lead as large as 20 before the break.
Chicago closed the half on a 7-0 run, capped by a 3-pointer and a driving layup from Dosunmu. Giddey and White each scored 11 points in the first half.
Lakers forward Drew Timme sustained an injury to his right eye early in the second quarter when Dosunmu was called for an offensive foul after elbowing him in the face. Officials reviewed the play for a possible flagrant foul but ruled it a common foul. Timme was cleared to return but did not re-enter the game.
