Player Grades: Lakers vs. Bulls
Grading every Lakers player’s performance from the team’s 119-117 loss to the Bulls.
Basketball is pain.
On Wednesday, the Lakers won a thriller over the Pacers thanks to a LeBron James buzzer-beating tip-in basket. On Thursday, they lost to the Bulls on a 45-foot shot by Josh Giddey in the final seconds of the game.
There was a lot that went wrong for the Lakers to go from up five with 12 seconds left to losing, and it was a combination of poor plays and some luck on Chicago’s part. In the end, Los Angeles had an awful end to the game and walked out of the Windy City feeling like they had cheated themselves out of a win.
So, let’s dive into the loss. As always, grades are based on expectations for each player. A “B” grade represents the average performance for that player.
Dorian Finney-Smith
30 minutes, 3 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1-5 FG, 1-5 3PT, -10
DFS was a great facilitator in this game and did the small things to impact the Lakers positively. He was a conductor on the floor, pointing players to spots they should be, contested shots well and did a good job replacing the injured Rui Hachimura in the starting lineup.
Offensively, though, he needed to do more, as he only scored three points and went 1-5 from the field.
Grade: B-
LeBron James
39 minutes, 17 points, 5 rebounds, 12 assists, 8-20 FG, 0-5 3PT, 1-2 FT, -10
I can’t wait until LeBron's 3-point shot returns. He went 0-5 from deep on Thursday and has gone 1-15 from beyond the arc since returning from his groin strain.
His biggest faux pas in this game, however, was his poor defense on Patrick Williams's 3-pointer with 10 seconds left. This was followed by his even worse inbound pass, which Giddey stole and dished to Colby White to take the lead from the Lakers with six seconds left in the game.
One play never decides a game, but two awful mistakes — which he took the blame for — resulted in an epic collapse, and it wasn’t LeBron’s finest moment.
Grade: C-
Jaxson Hayes
32 minutes, 19 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 9-11 FG, 1-2 FT, -9
This was one of the best games Hayes has played as a Laker. He tied his season-high of 19 points and actually stood in the paint and contested near the rim in a way I haven't seen him do...maybe ever.
It’s a shame that his play will be forgotten due to the ending of this game, but Hayes is playing the best basketball of his career right now.
Grade: A
Luka Dončić
38 minutes, 25 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 8-22 FG, 4-12 3PT, 5-6 FT, -1
The defense from Luka in this game was tolerable, but his 8-22 shooting was rough. Sure, this game had a lot of physicality and several plays not being called as fouls were perplexing.
Still, as one of the main on-ball players, Luka has to be a bit sharper, especially on a night when LeBron is struggling offensively.
Grade: B-
Austin Reaves
37 minutes, 30 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 10-17 FG, 3-9 3PT, 7-7 FT, -10
Reaves was tough as nails for staying in this game when he tweaked his ankle in the fourth quarter. He probably should’ve sat, but he refused and scored six points in crunch time, including what could’ve been the game-winner.
However, the final play ruined that story, so we have a Reaves masterclass that will be forgotten.
Grade: A-
Jarred Vanderbilt
19 minutes, 7 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block, 3-4 FG, 1-1 FT, +9
Every passing day, Vando appears to be getting more comfortable and acclimated to this team. In Thursday’s game, he was flying around defensively and scoring on the other side as well.
If he keeps it up, he’ll soon be back up to playing 25 minutes or so per game come playoff time.
Grade: A
Gabe Vincent
14 minutes, 8 points, 2 rebounds, 3-6 FG, 2-5 3PT, +13
It's interesting to me that Vincent’s minutes took a hit in this game. Godwin played more than him and with Dalton Knecht playing 12 minutes, Vincent only played for a few shifts.
He didn’t wow during his time, but he was respectable. Perhaps JJ Redick simply liked more of what he was getting from his other reserves agaisnt the Bulls.
Grade: B
Jordan Goodwin
18 minutes, 8 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 3-4 FG, 2-2 3PT, +3
Goodwin began the day officially earning a standard contract, and at night, he demonstrated why he deserved it. He was everywhere defensively, closing out to shooters on the perimeter, blocking shots inside, and fighting for the ball in the paint.
Add in his eight points and the Lakers have a good defensive guard who will be playing in every game the rest of the way.
Grade: A
Dalton Knecht
12 minutes, 0 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 0-2 FG, 2-2 3PT, +3
There were some mental defensive lapses by Knecht, but then again, can we call them lapses when it’s what you always do? Offensively, Knecht didn’t score, but he rebounded well and had a nice assist, making this a below-average game for the rookie.
Grade: C
JJ Redick
It’s hard to blame Redick for the ending of this game. The team just played poorly and I don’t think a timeout was necessary near the end when you are up by two and have the ball in LeBron’s hands for an inbound. They just blew this one.
Grade: B-
Thursday’s DNPs: Alex Len, Markieff Morris, Shake Milton, Christian Koloko, Bronny James
Thursday’s inactives: Maxi Kleber, Rui Hachimura
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.