NBA 2018-19: 3 Talking Points from Los Angeles Lakers vs Chicago Bulls

The Los Angeles Lakers started their Eastern Conference road trip with a win against the Chicago Bulls with a 123-107 scoreline. The Lakers ended their 5-game losing skid with this win.

LeBron James scored a game-high 36 points and looked at his dominant best. He muscled and bullied his way through the Bulls defense and had several powerful dunks. The Lakers had to erase a 19-point first quarter deficit in this match. They fought back valiantly and dominated the second and third quarters to end with an easy victory.

The Lakers currently have a 31-36 record and are the 11th ranked team in the Western Conference. They have little to no hope of making this year's playoffs and a host of injuries have added to their plight.

The Bulls are one of the worst teams in the NBA with a 19-50 win-loss record. They are ranked 13th in the Eastern Conference and have already been eliminated from playoff contention.

Let's have a look at the key talking points from this match:

#3 Good all-round display from the Bulls starters:

The Chicago Bulls started the match brightly

The Bulls took a 34-16 lead after the 1st quarter and looked destined to pile on the misery for the Lakers. They had a strong showing from their starters in this match.

All five of the starters ended the match with double digits in scoring. Robin Lopez led the team in scoring, finishing with 20 points on a super efficient 9-14 shooting from the field. Otto Porter Jr. has adjusted nicely in the Bulls lineup and finished with 19 points. He shot 4-8 from the 3PT line.

Lauri Markkanen has been in scorching form of late. But he struggled a bit in this match and ended with only 11 points on 4-17 shooting from the floor.

#2 Great shooting from the Lakers:

Los Angeles Lakers v Dallas Mavericks

The Lakers are not a good shooting team. They hardly have any good outside shooters or Free throw shooters. These two things have been the Lakers' biggest weaknesses this season and have hampered their success.

But they shot the ball very well in this match. The Lakers shot 54.7% from the field and 40% from the 3PT line. They are dead last in the NBA when it comes to FT shooting but they shot 80% from the FT line in this match which was a massive improvement.

Caldwell-Pope provided great support from the bench. He tallied 24 points on 7-11 shooting from the field. He was also 4-8 from the 3PT line and 6-6 from the FT line. Rajon Rondo was also superb and ended the match with a points-assists double-double. The Lakers recently signed Andre Ingram to a 10-day contract and he also featured briefly in this match.

#1 Dominant display from LeBron James:

LeBron James dominated against the Bulls

LeBron James is having a good individual season despite the struggles of his team. He was at his dominant best today and there was no one who could have stopped him.

James ended the match with a game-high 36 points on an unbelievable 15-23 shooting from the field. He shot 2-4 from the 3PT line and 4-5 from the FT line. James also grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out 4 assists and had a great all-round match for his team.

James is averaging 27.2 points, 8.6 rebounds and 8 assists per game for the season on a highly efficient 51.3% shooting from the field. He also has 7 triple-doubles to his name this season. The Lakers were ranked 4th in the league before his injury. While he has failed to turn his team's season around after returning from injury, he has still displayed consistency in every match.