It's been a tumultuous season for the Lakers, whose playoff hopes are all but lost.
Both losses and injuries have mounted for the team as it began its five-game Eastern Conference road trip looking to snap a five-game losing streak. To make matters worse, former No. 2 overall picks Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram have been shut down for the remainder of the season with injury.
While it's been hard to find positives from the team's recent stretch, LeBron James' 36-point performance in a streak-snapping win over the Bulls serves as a silver lining in an otherwise dark cloud.
It wasn't necessarily the win itself – Chicago is 19-50 on the season and was without leading scorer Zach LaVine.
It wasn't LeBron's 36 points, either – we've now seen him score 30 or more points 14 times this year.
It was how he got them.
James finished the night shooting 15-for-23 from the field, including four dunks – two of which were of the jaw-dropping variety.
Let's revisit them…
Dunk 1: Off the bounce
Early in the second half, LeBron timed the bounce on an outlet pass from Kyle Kuzma perfectly to set up a two-handed reverse slam that impressed the United Center crowd. It was the first two points of a 9-0 run the Lakers would use to take their first lead of the game in the third quarter.
LA went on to outscore Chicago 43-24 in the frame.
‼️ LEBRON OFF THE BOUNCE ‼️
— NBA (@NBA) March 13, 2019
📱💻: https://t.co/v3lUs0X65P pic.twitter.com/iyNC7O6P8X
Dunk 2: Off the glass
LeBron's final bucket of the game came at the five minute mark of the fourth quarter.
After stealing a bad pass, James sent an outlet pass to second-year guard Josh Hart, who did what any basketball player should do on a breakaway with LeBron James – toss it up.
Hart's lob off the backboard set up yet another high-degree-of difficulty reverse dunk from James, who added in a shimmy for good measure.
"SHOWTIME!"#LakeShow 121#BullsNation 105
— NBA (@NBA) March 13, 2019
LeBron has 36 PTS, 10 REB & 4 AST with 2:05 remaining. pic.twitter.com/VAPOBfPF5K
The Lakers went up 14, the Bulls called for timeout, and James was able to rest for the final five minutes of the game.
While it's no secret that LeBron is one of the greatest athletes the sport has ever seen, concerns surrounding his quickness and bounce have understandably come up amidst the most injury-plagued season of his 16-year career.
After the game, James laughed as he shared that "sometimes some of the best lobs are some of the worst passes. Just got to make it happen."
At 34-years-old, LeBron's athletic display against the Bulls should serve as a reminder that he's nowhere near done making things happen.
