Bulls vs Lakers – NBA Opening Day Recap

Chicago Bulls 88 – Los Angeles Lakers 87. It was the closest game of the day, as in closest throughout. Throughout however it did look as though the Lakers would hold on using their experience in their core. Without Andrew Bynum (suspension), the Lakers front line seemed to play better than the Bulls front line. But down the stretch it was the Bulls who executed masterfully and it was the intangibles in Derrick Rose which led to the victory. Rose completed on the game-winning teardrop shot in the lane and Kobe Bryant after playing a wonderful game just couldn’t return the favor as he was draped by three defenders.

Notables: Los Angeles missed Andrew Bynum and will miss him another 3 games due to his suspension. The rest of the lineup just didn’t play good enough overall. They need to bring in a more consistent second offensive option.
Pau Gasol did not provide enough offense. He only contributed 14 points in the loss.
Kobe Bryant looked to be in great shape as there were no signs of him being bothered by the wrist injury or his knees or ankle. He finished the game with 28 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals in a near vintage performance.
Derrick Rose had a relatively quiet game by Derrick Rose standards but he did come up big when it counted.

Highlight of the Night by NBA via YouTube: