The Los Angeles Lakers were able to get back in the win column with a win over the Chicago Bulls.
It has not been a good stretch for the Los Angeles Lakers, but they were able to snap a five-game losing streak on Tuesday night. As we get closer to the end of the season, the Lakers are obviously not going to be making the playoffs, but wins and losses still matter for their draft lottery position.
Going against a team that is also looking toward the draft, the Lakers were able to win this one. In the win, LeBron James led the way for the Lakers with a big performance. James totaled 36 points on 15-for-23 shooting from the field and grabbed 10 rebounds. In his strong performance, James had a few highlight dunks, as it looked like the Lakers were having fun on the court.
In addition to James having a really good game, the bench for the Lakers provided a spark. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had one of his best games of the season, as he scored 24 points on 7-for-11 shooting from the field. KCP has not had a good season this year, but he certainly looked good against the Bulls.
Kyle Kuzma made his return to the starting lineup after missing a few games with an ankle injury. After a bit of a slow start, Kuzma picked it up in the second half and finished with 21 points, five rebounds and four assists.
While seeing the Lakers snap the losing streak is nice, at this point in the season, wins don’t do the Lakers much good. Seeing the development of young players is important for the rest of the season, but all wins do is worsen the Lakers’ odds in the draft lottery.
The Lakers will be continuing their road-trip on Thursday night against the Toronto Raptors. As one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, the results of the game will likely look a lot different on Thursday night.