In a thrilling finish that will surely be remembered for years to come, Josh Giddey hit a spectacular halfcourt buzzer-beater, leading the Chicago Bulls to a stunning victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, who found themselves on the wrong end of a dramatic conclusion.
With just 12.6 seconds left on the clock and the Bulls trailing 115-110, Giddey launched an inbound pass that found Nikola Vučević. Vučević quickly moved the ball to a wide-open Patrick Williams, who drained a corner three-pointer, narrowing the gap. But the chaos didn’t stop there. Following a misplayed inbound pass by LeBron James, Giddey capitalized on the mistake, snatching the ball away and setting up Coby White for a rapid-fire three of his own. Just like that, the Bulls took the lead at 116-115 with only 6.1 seconds remaining.
The Lakers, undeterred, quickly answered back as Austin Reaves drove to the basket for a layup, reclaiming the lead at 117-116 with a mere 3.3 seconds left. But Giddey had one more trick up his sleeve. With no timeouts left, he inbounded the ball to Williams, received it back, and released a prayer from beyond halfcourt. The anticipation in the United Center was palpable as the clock ticked down. When the shot swished through the net, the crowd erupted in ecstatic disbelief. Giddey was quickly swarmed by his teammates, marking the night as a special one for the young star.
Reflecting on the moment, Giddey said, “Special moment to do it with these guys, this team. We’ve shown over the last month to six weeks that we can beat anybody. The way we play the game, I think it wears people down. We get up and down. We run. We put heat on them to get back. A lot of veteran teams don’t particularly want to get back and play in transition.”
In an emotional aftermath for the Lakers, a team that had recently celebrated a buzzer-beating tip-in from LeBron against the Indiana Pacers, James expressed disappointment over his pivotal turnover that led to the Bulls’ winning plays. “We put ourselves in position to win, gave up a lot of threes in the fourth quarter, still put ourselves in position to win,” he commented. “Horrible turnover by myself, miscommunication the play before that. AR (Reeves) tried to save us. Tip your hats.”
Lakers head coach JJ Redick noted the team was feeling “devastation,” while Bulls guard Kevin Huerter couldn’t help but describe the game as the “craziest game of my life probably.”
On the stat sheet, Giddey notched his fifth career triple-double, finishing the night with 25 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists. Coby White also shined, contributing 26 points and nine assists. Huerter added another solid performance with 21 points, helping the Bulls’ collective effort where seven players scored in double figures.
For the Lakers, Austin Reaves led the way with a game-high 30 points in a losing effort, while Luka Dončić added 25 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, and two steals, contributing to the already competitive atmosphere.
This game continues to highlight the Bulls’ impressive resurgence, now riding a four-game winning streak and looking to solidify their position in the play-in race, currently sitting ninth in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, the Lakers are struggling, having won only once in their last five outings, searching for answers as they navigate through to the rest of the season.
In another game that night, the Indiana Pacers made headlines by setting a new franchise record for points, crushing the Washington Wizards 162-109. This marked the most points conceded by the Wizards in franchise history and the highest scoring game in regulation since 2008. Tyrese Haliburton lit up the court with a game-high 29 points, playing just under 25 minutes as the Pacers showcased their offensive might with nine players reaching double figures.
As teams continue to jostle for playoff positioning, nights like these remind us why we watch – for the thrill, the spectacular moments, and the stories that unfold when the whistle blows.
