Basketball: Lakers fall to Bulls in James return, Hornets sting Mavs

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James blocking the shot of Chicago Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu. PHOTO: USA TODAY SPORTS

LOS ANGELES – The Chicago Bulls spoiled superstar LeBron James’ return from a 13-game injury absence on Sunday, beating the Los Angeles Lakers 118-108, but his coach Darvin Ham said “you could see him getting his rhythm”.

Zach LaVine scored 32 points to lead the Bulls as they tightened their hold on the final Eastern Conference play-in berth, but all eyes were on James at Crypto.com Arena.

The 38-year-old forward came off the bench for just the second time in his 20-year National Basketball Association (NBA) career, the only other occasion coming in December 2007, when he was with Cleveland.

James, sidelined since Feb 26 with a tendon injury in his right foot, checked in to a standing ovation with the Lakers up 12-9 in the first quarter – going through his traditional hand-chalk toss near the scorer’s table before hitting the floor.

James led the Lakers with 19 points in 29½ minutes on court. Troy Brown and Malik Beasley added 18 apiece while Anthony Davis scored 15.

Said Ham: “You could see him getting his rhythm, his timing, his finishes, all of that. He’s a savvy veteran, one of the greatest ever to do it, so it’s not going to take all that much.”

James added: “The rhythm is the most important. I had a couple of drives and the ball got away from me. A couple of shots didn’t feel as good as before, obviously.

“But I was out for four weeks, so between that and the wind, just trying to get those things back leading to the final stretch of the season.”

DeMar DeRozan scored 17 points with 10 assists for the Bulls, who are 10th in the East, three games ahead of the Washington Wizards for the final play-in tournament spot and just a hair behind Toronto for ninth.

“My hat’s off to the Chicago Bulls,” Ham said. “They’re sort of fighting to get in position like we are, to secure a position. They came out with a sense of urgency tonight.

“We came out a little flat, turned the ball over early. We weren’t aggressive enough, physical enough. We let one slip here at home.”

The Lakers, who had gone 8-5 in James’ absence, saw their three-game winning streak end.

They are in the play-in places in the West, 1½ games behind the Golden State Warriors in the final play-off spot.

“To hell with the play-in; we actually can be top-eight seeds,” James said.

“That definitely changed my mindset on me coming back and trying to be a part of this...

“I don’t really want to say changed my mindset – it just enhanced what I was trying to do as far as my workouts, as far as my treatment and everything.”

Meanwhile, James’ former team Cleveland booked a play-off berth for the first time since he left the team in 2018.

Jarrett Allen recorded his 32nd double-double of the season and helped them stave off the visiting Houston Rockets 108-91 on Sunday for their first post-season trip since falling in the 2018 NBA Finals.

Allen finished with 24 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks. Evan Mobley also recorded three blocks while posting 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Cavaliers. Donovan Mitchell scored 22 points and Darius Garland paired 17 points with eight assists.

The Cavs last reached the post-season without James on their roster in 1998.

“That’s crazy that stat,” said centre Mobley, who was born in 2001. “I’m just here trying to win the most I can, and I guess that’s a big deal for a lot of people.”

Elsewhere, the Mavericks’ downward spiral continued with a 110-104 loss to the Hornets in Charlotte, where Dallas star Luka Doncic received his 16th technical foul of the season, which will trigger an automatic one-game suspension.

Doncic scored 40 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, but it was not enough to stave off a second loss in three days to the lowly Hornets – who are second-last in the Eastern Conference.
AFP, REUTERS

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