Just hours after being selected to his record 20th NBA All-Star team, LeBron James finished Thursday night’s game with 25 points and 12 assists as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Chicago Bulls 141-132.

Anthony Davis scored 22 points, D’Angelo Russell scored 29 points with eight 3-pointers, and Austin Reaves finished with 20 points and eight assists. The Lakers won their fourth game in a row as Jarred Vanderbilt scored a career-high 17 points as the team made 60.9% of their attempts.

The Lakers put up a season-high 112 points through three quarters and took a 24-point lead that helped them withstand the Bulls’ 39-point fourth quarter after they made 15 of their 18 attempts in a thrilling second period. Both the Lakers’ (141) and the Bulls’ (132) points scored were season highs.

James remarked, “We’re just playing the right way.” “Guys are at ease in that environment. Guys who can make shots are among us. Guys that can make plays are among us. It makes no difference who is firing.

The Bulls, who have dropped their opening two games of their three-game West Coast tour, were led by six players in double figures including Los Angeles native DeMar DeRozan, who scored 14 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter. Former Lakers guard Alex Caruso scored 17, Nikola Vucevic scored 20, and Coby White added 25 points.

“We definitely dug a hole for ourselves,” Chicago head coach Billy Donovan remarked. Their foul line made all the difference in the game. We overly irritated them. They had incredible shooting ability. The end of the second quarter and the turnovers were very painful.

After winning this game, the Lakers finished 23 days with just one game played outside of Los Angeles at 6-6. They’ll go on a six-game road trip over the following two weeks while their downtown venue is host to the Grammy Awards.

Russell fell one 3-pointer short of his career best despite not scoring in the fourth quarter, and he further complicated the Lakers’ decision-making on his future by playing a good game just before the trade deadline. Los Angeles must determine whether it can acquire enough in return to turn around its.500 season, especially if Russell can continue his current run of exceptional play. The point guard’s deal is quite flexible.

“I’m going to maintain my confidence where it is,” declared Russell. “I just try to give AD and Bron props. I understand that they are capable of winning games for us on their own, so please try to support them, whether that means that I shoot or assist.

James broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record earlier on Thursday to become the first 20-time All-Star in NBA history. James will start his 20th All-Star Game in his 21 seasons. Last season, he overtook Abdul-Jabbar as the league’s greatest scorer.

“It’s just humbling, because I’ve exceeded expectations in my career,” James remarked. “It’s great to receive these kind words throughout your career, but I’ve already achieved more than I could have imagined by becoming an NBA player, and I did that a long time ago. Everything else is merely bonus material.

Star guard Zach LaVine will be sidelined for at least another week while his ankle injury is reassessed, according to Donovan’s statement prior to the game. Earlier in the season, trade rumors connected the UCLA product to the Lakers on multiple occasions.