For as badly as the Lakers played in Tuesday’s first half against Chicago, they
were all the better in the final two quarters.
The purple and gold erased a 19-point deficit and surged to the finish line,
cementing their biggest comeback of the season in a 103-94 victory.
Head coach Luke Walton called his team “pretty bad in that first half,” but
liked the way it moved the ball around and competed defensively in the end.
The Lakers (8-10) went from 42 points and 13 turnovers in the first half to 62
points and one turnover in the second.
“It’s a learning opportunity for the guys to be down (19) and realize you don’t
need hero shots,” Walton said. “You just need to tighten down on what we are
doing, and you can get back in the game.”
Lakers battle back tonight to win consecutive home games, beating the Bulls,
103-94 #LakersWin pic.twitter.com/cEtMeH95ML
Meanwhile, the one constant was defense. L.A. held the Bulls (3-12) to 38.3
percent shooting on the night.
Yet, as with most other areas, the Lakers were more successful in the second
half, limiting their visitors to a 28.9 percent clip from the field.
“We turned up our defensive pressure,” said Julius Randle, who had 10 points and
10 rebounds. “They took a lot of pressured shots, and that gives us momentum
getting those stops.
“On the other hand, it gives us an extreme amount of confidence on the other end
to go out and play freely.”
Most of the Lakers found that offensive freedom in the second half, but Kyle
Kuzma had it from the very first possession, throwing down a dunk to open the
game.
He hit each of his first four shots and kept the Lakers afloat with a game-high
22 points, including four 3-pointers.
Kyle Kuzma tallied another game-high in points with 22 as the Lakers top the
Bulls #LakersWin pic.twitter.com/uzBxvn8RCX
While Kuzma kept the Lakers within striking range, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
provided the clutch plays at the end.
Down six with six minutes remaining, the Lakers erupted for 11 unanswered points
led by KCP.
He had a put-back with three minutes left to give L.A. the lead for good.
Immediately after, he pump-faked his defender and splashed a 3-pointer. Then he
received an outlet pass from Lonzo Ball and sunk another trey to seal the
victory.
Caldwell-Pope ended the night with a season-high 21 points, nine rebounds, four
assists, three steals and four 3-pointers.
But the first-year Laker deferred credit to Randle and the rest of the second
unit for pulling the game within reach.
“(The second unit was) tired, a little fatigued, and we were fresh coming off
the bench,” Caldwell-Pope said. “So we just wanted to keep the same pace they
had out there.”
KCP hit some huge triples late in the fourth to seal the win, finishing with 21
points #LakersWin pic.twitter.com/3jJouMfFLj
Notes Brandon Ingram scored six of his 17 points in the final five minutes. …
Chicago was led by Denzel Valentine (17 points) and Lauri Markkanen (13 points,
14 rebounds). … A crowd of 18,997 sold out STAPLES Center.
#WeGotTacos
A post shared by Lakers Scene (@lakersscene) on Nov 21, 2017 at 10:14pm PST
Player: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
Player: Kyle Kuzma
Media Content: http://www.nba.com/lakers/news/171121-lakers-bulls-recap
Media Keywords: NBA, Sports, Los Angeles Lakers, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle
Kuzma, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers
Media Thumbnail:
http://i.cdn.turner.com/drp/nba/lakers/sites/default/files/171121-d.jpg
Taxonomy: Postgame Wrap
Story Link: http://www.nba.com/lakers/news/171121-lakers-bulls-recap
