I know, it was probably wrong of me to expect the Chicago Bulls to defend and beat one of the best offenses in the NBA. Especially one where Chicago is staring at two massive mismatches in LeBron James and Luka Dončić. That blind faith came at a cost, paid in full by a Dončić stat line that definitely padded his season averages.
Chicago had chances late to make things interesting, but in my opinion, it was too little, too late.
The Moment that the Bulls Lost the Game
The Chicago Bulls lost this game early in the second quarter. It was one bad possession after another, with no real way to stop the bleeding. You can almost trace the collapse directly through the ten turnovers the Bulls gave up in that stretch.
Josh Giddey got blocked by Jaxon Hayes into a wedgie. Ayo Dosunmu was called for a hard offensive foul on a layup attempt. Coby White turned the ball over twice—once on a travel, then again by stepping out of bounds. White also threw a crazy pass to Okoro in the corner, which could do nothing but fall out of bounds. Matas Buzelis threw a cross-court pass that sailed way over Nikola Vucevic. And while all of that was happening, the Bulls let LeBron James dismantle them offensively, making every possession look like a mismatch.
LeBron capped it with an and-one and a big dunk off a Bulls double turnover, swinging the momentum firmly in the Los Angeles Lakers’ favor. He was so confident in exposing the matchup that the broadcast caught him mouthing, “Get me the ball,” to his teammates—who all seemed to agree, fully aware the Bulls had no answer for the 41-year-old.
Pocket? Picked.Dunk? Slammed. pic.twitter.com/tA1AHnhzxZ
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 27, 2026Key Stats and Takeaways
© Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images If there’s one thing I’m taking away from the first quarter, it’s Jalen Smith. He was the first Bull to reach double digits, dropping 10 points in the opening frame. That marked his eighth straight game with 10+ points—a career-high streak. Smith went a perfect 2-for-2 from behind the arc, and according to the broadcast, head coach Billy Donovan actually gets mad at him if he doesn’t take those open threes. Josh Giddey is looking better with every game he plays. After not making a single three in his first two games back, he made three threes in the first half, three straight threes, to be exact. It could’ve been four, but his insane three-quarter-court shot didn’t count.This didn't count… but Josh Giddey hit this from 80 feet.@JoshGiddey | @CHSN__ pic.twitter.com/sAGEtT6TZa
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 27, 2026 The second half showcased some misguided promise early. Coby White went on a much-needed run, hitting three threes to not only fuel a 24–12 surge, but also pull the game back to as close as it was early. He cut the 13-point deficit down to one. His efforts were rewarded, too, as he passed Kirk Hinrich for sole possession of second place in franchise history in three-pointers made. But it didn’t last long. Luka Dončić proved exactly why he’s a frontrunner for the MVP award. He erupted for 20 points in the third quarter alone, adding two assists and pushing his night to 37 points, 10 assists, and six rebounds—with a full fourth quarter still left to play. LeBron James didn’t score in the third, but he didn’t need to. Dončić had complete control, even becoming the quickest Laker to reach 2,000 points.Quickest Laker to hit 2,000 with the squad (65 games) ? pic.twitter.com/emJ7XmRaGQ
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 27, 2026 No one can expect to beat a Lakers team when Luka Dončić nearly posts a 50-point double-double. LeBron James and Rui Hachimura both finished with 20+ points, and Jaxon Hayes was throwing down dunk-contest-level slams in the middle of a live game.THROUGH THE LEGS JAXSON HAYES pic.twitter.com/RjwrgMl8C4
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 27, 2026 The Bulls lost this game in the second quarter. Everything they tried after that wasn’t about gaining an advantage; it was about climbing out of a hole they dug themselves. Somehow, the Bulls finished the game with 0 blocked shots.Full Box Score
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