On Thursday night, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Chicago Bulls 141-132. Kobe Bryant, who scored 25 points and gave out 12 assists in the game, was named to his record-tying 20th NBA All-Star squad just hours before it began.

 

The Los Angeles Bulls, who are playing three games on the West Coast after losing their opening two, had six players score in double figures. In the fourth quarter, DeMar DeRozan scored fourteen of his thirty-two points. With twenty-five points, Coby White took the lead, followed by Nikola Vucevic (20) and Alex Caruso (17), a former player for the Lakers.

 

The Lakers’ sixth straight win put a stop to their 23-day run of only one game played away from Los Angeles. Over the next two weeks, they will travel for six games while the Grammy Awards are held in the downtown venue.

 

Six players for the Los Angeles-based Bulls, who are on a three-game West Coast trip and have lost their first two games, scored in double figures. Fourteen of DeMar DeRozan’s thirty-two points came in the fourth quarter. Coby White led the way with twenty-five points, followed by Nikola Vucevic with twenty, and former Lakers player Alex Caruso with seventeen.

 

The Lakers ended their 23-day streak of playing just one game outside of Los Angeles with their sixth straight victory. They will play six games away from home over the course of the next two weeks while the Grammy Awards are hosted in its downtown location.

 

Russell finished with just one fewer 3-pointer than his career high, despite not scoring in the fourth. It is becoming more difficult for the Lakers to decide what to do with him after he put up another outstanding performance just before the trade deadline. Although Russell’s contract is quite flexible, Los Angeles must determine whether it will receive enough in return to turn around its.500 campaign, particularly if Russell continues to play at a high level.

James became the first player in NBA history to be chosen an All-Star 20 times, breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s mark earlier on Thursday. It will be James’ 20th All-Star Game start. He overtook Abdul-Jabbar as the league’s all-time leading scorer in the previous season.

 

 

The second quarter saw the Lakers shoot the best they had all season, making 15 of 18 shots and leading 73-57 at the half.

 

Bulls coach Billy Donovan announced prior to the game that starting guard Zach LaVine will miss at least a week due to an ankle injury. Earlier in the season, there were numerous trade rumors involving the UCLA player and the Lakers.