The Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls were the only game on the NBA schedule Tuesday, and they used the spotlight to play a sloppy but entertaining contest at Staples Center. After a close first quarter, the Bulls took advantage of Lakers’ turnovers to jump out to a 56-42 lead at halftime.
They were led by rookie Antonio Blakeney, who is on a two-way contract with the Bulls. He torched the Lakers early and often, which heading into the matchup was a challenge expected to be posed by Lauri Markkanen.
Lakers head coach Luke Walton said he spoke to his team about effort and reminded his team a 14-point deficit was hardly insurmountable.