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The Los Angeles Lakers made it a game down the stretch but couldn't complete the comeback in a 126-115 loss to the Chicago Bulls. Derrick Rose and E'Twaun Moore shared the game-high with 24 points each, with six players on the Bulls reaching double-digits before the night was over.
D'Angelo Russell made his return to the starting lineup, where Byron Scott plans to keep him for the remainder of the season. Russell had a good game, finishing the night with 15 points and six assists while making six of his 13 field goal attempts. Julius Randle and Russell were keys for the Lakers keeping it close early, combining for 16 points in the first quarter.
Randle put together his team-leading 23rd double-double on the year, filling in 22 points and 12 rebounds in the loss. He was having an on-night, hitting everything around the rim as he implemented his spin and win tactics. Kobe Bryant and Jordan Clarkson were tied with a team-high 22 points. The night belonged to Kobe's farewell tour by and large, but the game was owned by the Bulls' offense. They shot 55.7 percent as a team overall, and a scorching 68.4 percent from deep. Rose sliced through the Lakers, making light work of Clarkson.
The Lakers brought a 19-point deficit into striking distance in the final minutes, but it was too little far too late. Pau Gasol and Rose put on the finishing touches in the possessions, and that was left was to watch the crowd give Kobe a standing ovation as he checked out for the final time in Chicago. The purple and gold travel to Milwaukee to face the Bucks in the second half of this back-to-back.