THE SHOT THAT SHOOK CHICAGO: JOSH GIDDEY’S HALF-COURT HEARTBREAKER
Chicago, IL
Josh Giddey knew it the second the ball left his hands. The buzzer. The swish. Chaos. In an instant, his teammates mobbed him, and the Chicago Bulls had just stolen the wildest game of the NBA season, stunning the Lakers 119-117 on Thursday night.
“Special moment to do it with these guys, this team,” Giddey said, still soaking in the madness.
Meanwhile, the Lakers were left staring into the abyss. One night after LeBron James’ buzzer-beating heroics in Indiana, they found themselves on the wrong end of history. According to Basketball-Reference, they became just the fifth team ever to win and lose on back-to-back buzzer-beaters. Brutal.
“Devastation,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said bluntly. “It’s a hell of a way to lose a basketball game.”
And what a loss it was. The Lakers were cruising, up 13 midway through the fourth and still leading 115-110 with 12.6 seconds left. Then? Implosion. Patrick Williams drilled a three. Giddey stole the ball from LeBron and fed Coby White for another triple. Suddenly, Chicago led. Austin Reaves gave L.A. a brief lifeline with a clutch layup, but with 3.3 seconds left, there was just enough time for destiny to intervene.
Giddey inbounded, got the ball back, and from near the Bulls’ logo, let it fly. He held the follow-through like a work of art. Bottom of the net. Game over. Bedlam in Chicago.
“Just wow,” guard Kevin Huerter wrote on X. “Craziest game of my life probably.”
Giddey’s stat line? Legendary. A 25-point, 14-rebound, 11-assist triple-double, making him the first player in NBA history to record one alongside a buzzer-beater against the Lakers. The only Bulls player with more triple-doubles in a season? Michael Jordan.
The Bulls’ resurgence is real. A month ago, they looked dead in the water, shipping Zach LaVine to Sacramento and sinking to 22-35. Since then? 11-5. They aren’t just beating up on lottery teams either—they’ve taken down the Lakers twice, Denver, and Indiana in this stretch.
Coach Billy Donovan credits the turnaround to the team’s relentless conditioning, a mindset forged in September workouts. The Bulls push the pace, keep their foot on the gas, and dare teams to keep up. Many, like the veteran-heavy Lakers, simply can’t.
The Bulls were supposed to fade. Instead, they’re fighting—and on this night, they landed the biggest knockout punch of the season.
