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LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James made his return Saturday night after a two-week hiatus due to injury, looking rejuvenated and prepared to guide the Los Angeles Lakers as they approach the postseason.
However, things quickly went south for the Lakers, who suffered a 146-115 defeat against the Chicago Bulls.
“We need to play significantly better than what we showed tonight and during our last road trip,” James remarked before the Lakers embarked on a four-game journey, starting in Orlando on Monday.
James netted 17 points after being sidelined for the Lakers’ last seven games due to a strained left groin, yet the NBA’s all-time leading scorer demonstrated some rust at times—particularly towards the end of the first quarter when he attempted a lengthy sideline inbounds pass that went out of bounds, failing to reach any teammates.
Despite James’ comeback, the Lakers delivered a lackluster performance, marking their second consecutive defeat and plunging them to new lows in a season marked by a rollercoaster of highs and lows since acquiring Luka Doncic.
The return of starting forward Rui Hachimura, who had missed 12 games with a knee issue, wasn’t enough to inspire the Lakers to compete against the motivated Bulls.
“I’m not sure if we thought that having all our players back meant everything would just snap back to how it was three weeks ago, but that’s not how it operates,” Lakers coach JJ Redick explained. “Throughout the season, we’ve discussed the importance of grace, so the team will inherently deserve some for the struggles of the past three weeks. However, that was the poorest our defense has appeared all year, certainly in the last three months.”
The Lakers have showcased periods of excellence with their newly formed superstar duo, yet they’ve had enough subpar performances to indicate considerable improvement is necessary. Their challenging schedule has also contributed to their struggles: they are currently enduring a stretch of 20 games over five weeks and recently faced five home games in just seven days.
At 40 years old, James remains optimistic about the Lakers rediscovering their best form. Before his injury, the team had achieved an eight-game winning streak and had just secured three consecutive wins earlier this week ahead of his return.
“I know what this team is capable of,” James said. “Regardless of who’s in the lineup or who’s missing, we’ve managed to maintain our effort and try to play the right way offensively and defensively. Even amidst the challenges, including injuries and a grueling schedule, we’ve still found ways to win games.”
James was uncertain about the status of his recovery from the groin injury sustained late in the Lakers’ loss to the defending champion Boston on March 8. Following that setback, Los Angeles dropped all four games on that road trip before bouncing back with three straight victories at home, only to find themselves in a two-game slump now.
“I just take it one day at a time,” James stated regarding his injury. “I can’t predict the future, but I worked on it today. I plan to do some more on the flight. It’s a long journey to Orlando, and then I’ll prepare for Monday. I hope to leave it behind soon, but I won’t look too far ahead.”
Before his injury, James averaged 25.0 points, 8.5 assists, and 8.2 rebounds during his historic 22nd NBA season.
Hachimura, the Lakers’ fourth-leading scorer with 13.3 points per game, managed just five points in 18 minutes during his return. He noted that his knee is around “70 to 80 percent” healthy, expressing eagerness for it to fully recover.
“Our defense was atrocious today,” Hachimura admitted. “We lacked focus, and we failed to execute our game plans. They were scoring at will—threes, fast breaks, layups, you name it. We need to prioritize our defense; our offense will take care of itself.”
Los Angeles faced a loss to Milwaukee on Thursday, with Doncic and Austin Reaves also sitting out, leaving the Lakers shorthanded for their sixth game in eight days. Both Doncic and Reaves combined for 59 points against Chicago, but their teammates struggled to match that output.
“We just haven’t had much time with our entire roster available,” Redick pointed out. “Managing this throughout the season has been challenging, regardless of the team’s composition. I’m looking forward to these final 13 games to establish some consistency, foster team chemistry, and hopefully return to the level of play we exhibited prior to the Boston game.”
