The Los Angeles Lakers will feel they lost a game from right under their noses. The Purple and Gold showed amazing quality fighting back from a halftime deficit against the Bulls. At the same time, complacency made them pay a heavy price. A Josh Giddey half-court winner meant the Bulls successfully climbed out of an 18-point hole in the fourth quarter alone. But the game changed moments before, on a possession with LeBron James and Austin Reaves.
But then—disaster struck. Instead of sealing the game, the Lakers completely fumbled the inbounds play. Reaves, who had been their go-to guy all night, was expecting to draw a foul and head to the line. But somehow, the ball never even made it safely into play.
A miscue, a turnover, and suddenly, the Bulls had life. In a matter of seconds, their three-point deficit turned into a tied game. And then, as if scripted for maximum heartbreak, Josh Giddey delivered the halfcourt dagger that sent the Lakers stunned.
That’s where the tides changed tonight. James did throw the ball towards Reaves, but Giddey and the Bulls’ pressure led to a steal and an instant three giving Chicago the unexpected upper hand. And it happened because the Lakers weren’t on the same wavelength. “I wanted to get the ball go to the free throw line. I think the miscommunication might have been I was trying to hold him off instead of popping to the ball,” Reaves said about the play.
Mar 27, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) shoots over Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic (9) during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images
The error opened up the floodgates for a game-winner situation. Upon the steal, Coby White hit a triple to give the Bulls a one-point advantange. Still, there was no blaming after the blunder. Austin Reaves took accountability for being unable to read the play. “I take just as much responsibility as you know I’m sure he did,” Reaves said about the sequence.
But there was so much more that hurt the Los Angeles Lakers tonight. LeBron James‘ rough shooting spell continued as he has shot just 12-32 over the last two games. They only made one of their nine three-point attempts in the last segment. In contrast, the Bulls hit home at 11 of their 14 attempts to spark the emphatic comeback.
Yet most importantly, it wasn’t missed shots or miscommunication where the Lakers lost.
Luka Doncic highlights a key issue within the Lakers
In his short time as a coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, JJ Redick has strongly emphasized a few principles. One of them is to compete. His system is indicative of that. The Lakers’ defense keeps switching and playing with explosive movements. On the other end, their offenses are systematic, moving the ball and getting the best shot.
Tonight, the Lakers actually succeeded at their kryptonite before letting the game go away from them. “You know our third quarters weren’t good. So today I think we had to show that our third quarter needs to be better,” Luka Doncic commented. That’s where the game swayed into their laps.
The Lakers’ defense even without Rui Hachimura troubled the Bulls. They shot just 27.3% in the third quarter while the Lakers generated three steals and three blocks. Their vigor on both sides of the floor opened the game up and it was supposed to stay that way. However, they made a crucial mistake.
The 18-point lead made them take things easy. The home team made them pay for it with a spectacular showing in the final period. That’s why Doncic couldn’t stop himself from thinking, “We relaxed in the fourth quarter so just got to play the game for 48 minutes,”.
If they stay engaged throughout the four quarters, Doncic feels they are “hard to beat”. And there has been plenty of proof for the same. The Purple and Gold seem to have lost the urgency to win games. It creates lousy moments that opponents have now frequently exploited against them.
Tonight was probably the worst of them all. And JJ Redick will most likely have a hard talk with his team about their depreciating energy levels.
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