NBA

The Lakers reached full health on Saturday, with LeBron James and Rui Hachimura each returning to the lineup after missing weeks of action. With a sub-.500 Chicago Bulls team visiting the Crypt, things looked good for a win heading into the road trip, which kicks off Monday in Orlando. 

Apparently the Lakers thought it was in the bag, too, because they came out with one of their worst efforts in the post-Luka trade era, and paid for it. Final score, 146-115. Defensively, the Lakers were a disaster more or less from the jump, failing to defend the 3-point line (which allowed Chicago, and especially Coby White, to find a serious groove), but also making it too easy to get to the basket. They were careless on the glass and with the ball (21 turnovers) which allowed Chicago to get out in the open floor and use their athleticism. Meanwhile, offensively the Lakers were stagnant. There wasn't much motion or ball movement, and even though Luka Dončić (34 points, 10/18 shooting) and Austin Reaves (25 points, 9/13 from the floor) were highly efficient, as a team the Lakers lacked any real energy on that half. 

21 assists at home—well below their season average—isn't much to write home about. Nor did the bench contribute all that much. There was, on balance, very little to like. And given how tightly packed the Western Conference currently is, these sorts of games could prove quite costly when it comes to seeding. 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

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