The Chicago Bulls stunned the Los Angeles Lakers 119-117 on Thursday night, courtesy of a dramatic halfcourt buzzer-beater from Josh Giddey. Just one night after LeBron James’ game-winning tip-in lifted the Lakers past the Pacers, the Bulls flipped the script with a miraculous shot that left the Lakers in disbelief.
With no timeouts and the Bulls trailing by one, Giddey inbounded the ball to Patrick Williams, who quickly returned it. Giddey took one dribble and launched a shot from beyond halfcourt as the buzzer sounded. The ball swished through the net, sparking an eruption from the Chicago crowd and silencing the Lakers.
Giddey recorded his fifth triple-double as a Bull, finishing with 25 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists. Coby White and Kevin Huerter combined for 47 points and 10 three-pointers, leading Chicago to its fourth consecutive win and ninth in the last 11 games.
The game was a tale of two halves, with the Bulls leading throughout the first before a late Gabe Vincent three put the Lakers up by one at the break. In the fourth quarter, the Bulls tied the NBA record with 11 made threes, including three in the final 10 seconds.
The wild finish saw the Bulls score six points in the last 6.1 seconds. After a Patrick Williams corner three cut the deficit to two, Giddey stole the inbounds pass and found White for the go-ahead triple. Though the Lakers briefly regained the lead on an Austin Reaves layup, Giddey’s heroics sealed the win.
With the victory, Chicago remains ninth in the East, while the Lakers stay fourth in the West.