Josh Giddey produced an insane buzzer-beater during the wild-card finish in the Chicago Bulls’ dramatic 119-117 victory against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday. His last-second 3-point shot came at the end of the game and the Bulls pulled off a stunning comeback from a 18-point deficit.
It turned out to be a roller-coaster moment for the Lakers as they won a game on a buzzer-beater one night before. Los Angeles held a 115-110 lead midway through the fourth quarter before the wild finish.
Patrick Williams triple with 10.3 seconds left.
Coby White for the lead with 6.1 seconds left.
Austin Reaves takes the lead back with 3.3 to go.
Bulls started the game very well by outscoring the Lakers 32-22 in the opening quarter. Los Angeles broke the 10-point lead in the second quarter and built a 91-75 lead at the end of the third quarter. Chicago had a 17-6 run at the beginning of the final period and they reduced the deficit to single-digit.
Chicago Bulls trailed by five points with 12.6 seconds remaining and Patrick Williams and Coby White dropped back-to-back 3-pointers. Giddey stole a pass from LeBron James and Coby White made a 3-pointer with 6 seconds to go, helping the Bulls to take a 116-115 lead.
Austin Reaves came up with a layup to give the Lakers a 117-116 lead with 3 seconds to go. Then, we witnessed a stunning half-court heave from Giddey, who finished with 25 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists. He took center stage and brought the ball up the court before draining a deep three from beyond half-court at the buzzer.
Giddey recorded his fifth triple-double of the season – the only Bulls player with more in one season is Michael Jordan, who had 15 triple-doubles in 1988-89. Giddey also got valuable support from Coby White, who scored 26 points and Kevin Huerter added 21.
Austin Reaves led the Lakers with 30 points. Luka Doncic added 25 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists while Jaxson Hayes had 19. LeBron James, who had a buzzer-beating moment one night ago, finished with 17 points and 12 assists.
With this loss, Los Angeles lost four of their last five games. They are now a half-game behind the Grizzlies for the West’s 4-seed and 2.5 games in front of the Clippers and the Warriors.
