DeRozan, LaVine lead Bulls' 121-103 rout of LA; Davis tossed

By GREG BEACHAM | Associated

LOS ANGELES (AP) — DeMar DeRozan scored a season-high 38 points and Zach LaVine had added 26 in the Chicago Bulls' 121-103 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night.

Lonzo Ball had a season-high 27 points, eight assists and seven rebounds against his former team as the promising Bulls rolled to their fourth win in five games, following up their win over the Clippers on Sunday night by sweeping back-to-back games at Staples Center. Chicago also snapped an eight-game skid against the Lakers dating to November 2016.

DeRozan and LaVine combined for 39 points in the first half at Staples Center, hitting seven 3-pointers in a dynamic two-man display. DeRozan kept it up after halftime, following up his 35-point effort against the Clippers with another dominant night on his hometown floor.

DeRozan and the Lakers flirted with each other in free agency during the summer, but the Lakers eventually went with Russell Westbrook over DeRozan, his fellow Los Angeles-area native.

Anthony Davis had 20 points and six rebounds before getting ejected by referee Scott Wall with 2:20 left in the third quarter. The Lakers already were well on their way to their fourth loss in the last seven games without LeBron James, who is out with an abdominal strain.

Talen Horton-Tucker scored a career-high 28 points against his hometown team and Westbrook got 19 of his 25 in the first half for the Lakers, who wrapped up a five-game, eight-day homestand with three narrow wins and two embarrassing defeats.

Three days after Minnesota routed the Lakers with a dominant third quarter, Chicago went ahead by 25 in the third while scoring 37 points.

TIP-INS

Bulls: Coby White played 11 scoreless minutes in his season debut after shoulder surgery. White started 54 games last season, but Ball has taken over as Chicago's starting point guard. Coach Billy Donovan hopes White can provide offense off the bench for now.

Lakers: Kendrick Nunn has been doing on-court work, but he's still “a ways away” from his Lakers debut, Frank Vogel said. Nunn has a right knee bone bruise. ... Los Angeles played 12 of its first 15 games at home, but will play five road games in eight days before Thanksgiving.

AD OUT

Davis got his first technical midway through the first quarter, and he got another late in the third while the Lakers were trailing by 20 points. Davis lost his shoe while falling out of bounds with the ball under the Lakers’ basket, and he yelled at Wall when the referee allowed Chicago to inbound it before Davis put his shoe back on.

THE GREAT CARUSO

Alex Caruso played 35 scoreless minutes with six rebounds and five assists in his first game against the Lakers since Los Angeles declined to match the Bulls’ free-agent offer last summer. Caruso worked his way from the Lakers' G League affiliate to a key role on their 2020 championship team, and the Bald Mamba also became an enormous fan favorite among the Lakers’ worldwide fan base.

Staples Center played a tribute video to Caruso during the first timeout, and he waved to a lengthy standing ovation.

BRING BACK TERRITORIAL DRAFT PICKS

The Bulls put out a starting lineup with two former Lakers, two UCLA products, a USC product and two Los Angeles-area natives. The Lakers had two Chicagoland products in their starting lineup: Horton-Tucker is an Uptown native, and Davis is from the South Side.

UP NEXT

Bulls: At Portland on Wednesday.

Lakers: At Milwaukee on Wednesday.