Bulls stay hot with win over LeBron James, Lakers

10 Observations: Bulls stay hot with win over LeBron James, Lakers originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

The Bulls played host to LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers amid their recent hot streak.

Here are 10 observations from the game:

— Wednesday’s game represents the first the Bulls will play without Torrey Craig. Craig is a well-known voice in the locker room and provides valuable 3-and-D services on the floor. Billy Donovan said pregame he expects Julian Phillips and Dalen Terry to earn minutes in his absence.

— Anthony Davis and LeBron James were both listed as game-time decisions for Wednesday night’s contest. Rest assured, both landed in the starting lineups and were made available to play.

— On that note, James & Co. drew quite the crowd at the United Center on Wednesday. What appeared as damn near a sellout, the stadium was packed with Laker fans. Quite the crowd developed around the Lakers’ tunnel pregame waiting for one of the stars to emerge in pregame warmups.

Side note: 20 years ago on this day, James played his first game against the Bulls. (More on this to come.) He played 42 minutes, finishing with 32 points, 6 rebounds and 10 assists on 11-of-22 shooting. He recorded a pair of blocks and steals, too.

— As expected, James and Anthony put a quick hurt on the Bulls, 9-4, with all points scored or assisted by the former. However, the Bulls quickly stormed back, outscoring the Lakers 33-22 in the first frame. Alex Caruso, Coby White and Patrick Williams all scored seven points. The Bulls shot 52% from the field and 45.5% from 3-point land.

— Caruso has really developed his offensive skillset. We already know he improved his 3-point shot. That’s evidenced by his 45% clip from that range this season. But, he’s starting to create his own. In the second quarter — after he blocked Cam Reddish on one end —, he blew by Reddish with a nasty hesitation/crossover move and dunked down the ball. Eye-popping stuff.

— The Lakers closed the Bulls’ first-quarter domination in the second frame, thanks to some convenient shooting from Taurean Prince (13 points, 4-of-5 FG%, 3-of-4 3PT%). James (15 points), Davis (11 points) and Austin Reaves (nine points) helped bring the Lakers back.

— Davis left the third quarter after a collision with Coby White under the rim. He appeared to have injured his ankle, one that he came into this game with a questionable status because of. He endured a sprain and bone bruise on that same ankle before re-injuring it in the third quarter. He returned at the start of the fourth quarter.

— The Bulls put eight players in double figures by the game’s end. They shot 54.7% from the field and 52.9% from beyond the arc. It was quite the effort on both sides of the ball for the Bulls. Safe to say their offensive hot streak will continue through this contest.

— After defeating the Lakers, the Bulls are now 7-3 in this stretch without Zach LaVine. That stretch holds a slew of impressive wins over Goliath teams, including this one. It’s been quite the run for the Bulls. Stay tuned.

The Bulls will stay in Chicago on Thursday to face Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs. The last time the Bulls faced them, they came away with a nine-point victory on the road.

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