CHICAGO _ There was no accident to Julius Randle's performance Wednesday night against the Chicago Bulls.
He wanted the matchup that eluded him last time. He wanted his team to feed off his energy on a night they were missing two starters and playing on the second night of a back-to-back.
"It was important for me to come out and make a statement," Randle said. "Let them know, let my team know, tonight's not the night. We're going to be tough, we're going to fight and we're not backing down."
The Lakers (10-10) beat the Bulls (10-7), 96-90, in an often ugly slugfest dependent on their defense.
Randle led the way with 20 of the Lakers' 60 rebounds, and contributed pivotal points late in what was a close game. Randle also scored 13 points and had two assists and two steals. Backup guards Jordan Clarkson and Lou Williams led the team with 18 points each. Larry Nance Jr. added another double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Bulls star Jimmy Butler, meanwhile, only made four of 18 field goal attempts, including one of six from three.
"Today our offense wasn't what it usually is, missed some key components," forward Larry Nance Jr. said. "And our defense stepped up."
The Lakers committed a season high 24 turnovers. Wednesday' game also marked the first time all season the Lakers won a game in which they did not score at least 100 points.
"Our guys have proven when their backs are against the wall, they can step up for a challenge," Lakers Coach Luke Walton said. "They did it tonight. That's a great win against a very good team. ... Held them to I think 35 percent from the field shooting. Which is all we talked about pregame was defense. That's it. Defense. ... If you're committed to the defensive end on basketball, you always give yourself a chance."
Wednesday's game offered an unlikely stage to reach double-digit wins.
The Lakers had just come off a blowout road loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday. They lost their starting shooting guard, Nick Young, to a right calf strain in the first quarter of that game. They remained without starting point guard D'Angelo Russell, who is recovering from an injury to his left knee.
They faced a Bulls team on four days of rest, and one that had beat them 118-110 at Staples Center earlier this month.
Randle remembered how the Bulls pushed around the Lakers in that game. Bulls star Jimmy Butler scored 40 points that day, and Randle was particularly critical of his own performance against Bulls forward Taj Gibson.
Gibson scored 15 points with seven rebounds and three assists in his first meeting with the Lakers. So for this game, Walton wanted to put a bigger body on him than Randle, who is 6-feet-9, 250. Randle wouldn't hear it. He demanded Gibson again, and the Lakers coaches acquiesced.
"I love the accountability he wants," Walton said. "Not only to say you want it, but to go out and get 20 rebounds and back it up is impressive."
In the closing moments of the game, Randle pushed his team across the finish line.
With less than a minute to go, Randle demanded the ball, he spun through the paint to bank in a layup that gave the Lakers a 92-90 lead. The Bulls never scored again.
"This is kind of what we're starting to expect out of Julius," Walton said. "He's done it enough nights now that we think he can do it on any given night, and should do it on every given night."
