Fans at the United Center always show up a little differently for LeBron James.
Monday’s Bulls game against the Los Angeles Lakers marked the latest chapter in Chicago’s long relationship with the NBA’s greatest star. The stands were dotted with an abnormal amount of gold and purple as Lakers fans crowded the railing for a glimpse at their favorite out-of-town players.
In better years, this relationship meant that Bulls fans showed up ready to cheer against James. That remained true for much of Monday’s game. All they needed was a little fuel on the fire.
And despite sinking into an early 20-point deficit, the Bulls gave it to the Lakers in spurts throughout the fourth quarter.
Matas Buzelis threw a ball off James while tumbling out of bounds on defense for a change of possession. Kevin Huerter drew an offensive foul when the Lakers tried to push their luck in transition by baiting James into pushing his arm into Huerter’s neck. The Bulls cut the lead to three with just under six minutes remaining.
But in a game defined by its stars, the Bulls simply couldn’t keep up. The Lakers didn’t even need their heroics to come from James. Luka Dončić handled the closing shift instead, burying the Bulls with a handful of late 3s to fend off any last attempt at a comeback.
Jaxson Hayes delivered the final body blow, throwing down an Eastbay dunk in transition after stealing the ball from Josh Giddey to put the Lakers up by 14 with just under three minutes remaining.
Dončić finished with 46 points — an almost typical performance from the league scoring leader, who’s averaging 33.8 points — to end the Bulls’ four-game winning streak with a 129-118 loss.
“I think we did a lot of good things tonight,” Bulls guard Coby White said. “We shot the ball really well. It just happened they got a guy named Luka who had 46 points.”
In the final minute, Lakers fans rumbled the arena with a collective chant calling for Bronny James to enter the game. The Bulls’ home court was not their own, at least for one night.
Here are three takeaways from the loss.
1. Coughing it up
The Bulls handed the game to the Lakers in the second quarter with a complete collapse of organization on offense.
The Bulls scored 25 points in the quarter. The Lakers scored 14 just off turnovers. The mistakes and missed scoring opportunities put the Bulls in a 20-point deficit, although they were able to scrape that down to 13 by the end of the half. Matas Buzelis and White especially struggled with giveaways, turning the ball over twice on the same play midway through the quarter.
Giddey and Ayo Dosunmu combined for 15 points off the bench in the second quarter, but the rest of the Bulls offense grinded to a halt.
2. White hot streak
The Bulls’ short sprint of success — winning their previous four games to get back over .500 for the first time since November — was fueled in large part by the volume and accuracy of their 3-point shooting. They shot 46.9% behind the arc and knocked down 83 total 3s during the four-game winning streak.
Their 3-point shooting cooled slightly against the Lakers — going 8-for-27 in the second half — but the Bulls still hit 18 3s on 36.7% shooting.
3. Load management looming
The Bulls are about to embark on a grueling stretch before the All-Star break, featuring a pair of back-to-back series that will add up to four games in five days. This will be especially challenging for the backcourt due to the loss of Tre Jones.
Both White and Giddey remain under minutes restrictions. White is closer to his typical load — logging 31 minutes against the Lakers — and expects to play in at least one set of back-to-back games. But Giddey still is coming off the bench to accommodate a 24-minute restriction that’s not expected to lift this week.
Bonus: Benny’s new number
The retirement of Derrick Rose’s number ushered in another change for the Bulls — a new number for the team’s mascot, Benny.
Benny the Bull has worn a No. 1 jersey since he first debuted in 1969. But retired numbers apply to everyone, including bright red anthropomorphized cattle. So Benny on Monday unveiled the new jersey number he will wear for the foreseeable future: No. 99.
