CHICAGO — The end can come from anywhere, the Lakers showing the Pacers on Wednesday that until the final tick of the clock, the game can change.
It was a sweet feeling, LeBron James slipping in to tip in the winner with 0.1 on the clock. The hope was that the moment would give the Lakers a push, the kind of victory that could erase a four-game losing streak.
But the end can come from anywhere, and Thursday, it came from half court.
After Austin Reaves scored a go-ahead basket with 3.3 seconds left, Chicago’s Josh Giddey made a 47-foot shot at the buzzer to stun the Lakers 119-117.
The shot capped an epic fourth-quarter collapse where the Lakers allowed the Bulls to make 11 three-pointers in 14 attempts, including two in a 4.2-second span following a defensive mistake by James and a James turnover on the subsequent inbound pass.
The Lakers (44-29) led by 18 in the fourth quarter, the team weathering a slow start to put together two quarters of excellent basketball before letting up in the fourth.
They tried to kill the clock with nearly 10 minutes left, refusing to touch the ball to try and run a few seconds off the clock. The Bulls pounced, the ball suddenly only going in, Coby White leading Chicago in transition just like he did Saturday against the Lakers.
Reaves finished with 30 points and three assists and Luka Doncic had 25 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Jaxson Hayes had 19 points and eight rebounds and James finished with 17 points, 12 assists and five rebounds.
Giddey had a triple-double, with 25 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists for Chicago (33-40). White had 26 points and nine assists.
