On December 20, the Lakers lost 110-115 to the Bulls. In this game, bulls core DeRozan won in the final quarter. James played 31 points, 14 rebounds and 6 assists and still didn't win. However, in this game, the Lakers still have 3 good things.
First, Ariza made a comeback with a remarkable performance, with 3 points, 1 rebound and 2 assists, which was his first time this season to play for the Lakers. Ariza's return can reduce the pressure on the team's front, he is tall and long-armed, has excellent defensive ability, and will be a good rotation player for the Lakers. Especially in the playoffs, Ariza's experience is expected to play a role.
Second, Thomas Jr. started in the second game for the Lakers and played well. He had 13 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist in the game, shooting 3-of-7 from three-point range. Thomas Jr. scored 19 points in his first game for the Lakers.
Thomas Jr. is a player signed by the Lakers with a 10-day difficulty exception, but with his excellent performance, it should be natural for the Lakers to renew his contract, and then the Lakers may give him another 10-day difficulty exception. Currently, the league's new rules stipulate that as long as one person triggers a health and safety agreement, an additional player can be signed with a special case.
Of course, even if all the Lakers players have passed the health and safety agreement and can no longer use difficult exceptions, the Lakers are likely to renew their contracts with Thomas Jr. That means the Lakers may have to lay off people or make a deal to make room.
Third, Anthony's form recovered strongly, and he had 21 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks in this game, shooting 5-of-12 from three-point range. Melon recovery can alleviate the slow offensive pressure.
The Lakers' loss in this battle did not prevent DeRozan, and the Lakers failed to grab the rebound at the key moment. "A lot of times players are looking at their opponents on the court, rather than rushing to find the corresponding players and get stuck to compete for defensive rebounds." Acting head Fizzdale said so.
The Lakers let the Bulls grab consecutive offensive rebounds and carry out the blows.