In Year 18 with the Lakers, LeBron James is as imperious, corny, opportunistic and funny as he was during his younger years.
Advertisement
This is a night when Anthony Davis has announced his return to form against his hometown team. AD has been shooting lights out against the Bulls, having already scored 34 points at the time of writing. The Lakers entered this game on the back of a great win against Giannis’s Bucks.
It would have been a tough night even without AD firing on all cylinders for the Bulls. But to deal with the double whammy of LeBron’s facilitating skills and AD’s buckets, they need a lot more firepower. While Zach LaVine and co kept their first faceoff close, this has all the makings of a blowout win.
The Lakers emphasized their true defensive ceiling with a stifling first-half display. They held the Bulls to a shockingly low total of just 33 points through to halftime.
LeBron James walks on the scorers’ table in first half against Bulls
LeBron James was in a great mood at the start of the game. Probably buoyed by his team’s excellent defensive effort, he was up to some wildly humorous tricks. One of them was his decision to just hop onto the scoring table and take a walk to and fro, before getting off it. At the time, there were nearly 2 minutes left in the first quarter with the Lakers holding the lead.
LeBron learned from @DwyaneWade about the dangers of the scorers table 😂
(🎥 @BleacherReport)
— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) January 24, 2021
Practically speaking, every other player in the world would have earned a tech for this, irrespective of the circumstances. Messing up officials’ rhythm at their workspace is not something allowed in any sport. But LeBron James is apparently not only built different, he’s also treated differently.
At the time of writing, the Lakers have pulled their starters and are right on track to hold the Bulls to their lowest opponents points total of the season. It’s 95-75 right now with 4:43 remaining, and Anthony Davis is on 37 points for the game.