CHICAGO (AP) — LeBron James scored 25 points in his return to the starting lineup, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Chicago Bulls 121-110 on Wednesday night.
James also had seven rebounds and four assists in 31 minutes in his second game back after he was sidelined for a month because of a torn tendon in his right foot. The four-time MVP scored 19 points in Sunday’s 118-108 loss to Chicago in just his second appearance as a reserve in his 20-year NBA career.
Fighting for playoff positioning in the Western Conference, Los Angeles (38-38) kicked off a five-game trip with its fourth win in five games overall. Anthony Davis had 38 points and 10 rebounds in his hometown, and D’Angelo Russell scored 17 points.
Nikola Vucevic had 29 points and 12 rebounds for Chicago in its second straight loss. DeMar DeRozan scored 22 points, and Coby White had 17 points and nine assists.
The Bulls (36-40) are 10th in the Eastern Conference, clinging to the last spot for the play-in tournament.
LaVine’s dunk got Chicago within seven with 56.7 seconds left in the third quarter. But Los Angeles quickly pulled away in the final period.
Dennis Schröder’s three-point play made it 97-79 with 8:22 left, capping a 12-3 Lakers run. Davis connected on his only 3-point attempt with 6:07 to go, lifting Los Angeles to a 105-87 lead.
Austin Reaves added 19 points for the Lakers on 7-for-8 shooting.
After leading by as many as 17 in the first quarter, Los Angeles closed the first half with a 10-0 run for a 59-51 lead at the break. James made four foul shots and a driving layup during the spurt.
TIP-INS
Lakers: Russell (right hip soreness) started after he was sidelined for the previous two games. He went 7 for 12 from the field.
Bulls: C Andre Drummond missed the game because of personal reasons. Drummond posted on Twitter on Tuesday that he was deleting his social media apps to focus on his mental health. … G Alex Caruso (left foot soreness) returned to the starting lineup after missing Monday night’s 124-112 loss to the Clippers. … Vucevic scored Chicago’s first 13 points of the game.
UP NEXT
Lakers: At Minnesota on Friday night. The Lakers are 0-2 against the Timberwolves this season.
Bulls: At Charlotte on Friday night. The Bulls are 7-3 in their last 10 games against the Hornets.
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