CHICAGO _ Suddenly Anthony Davis was leaping off the bench in celebration, LeBron James was flexing through his sweatshirt and a look of joyful relief passed through the Lakers as Dwight Howard screamed into a Chicago crowd with more than a few Lakers partisans.
For three quarters, the Lakers were miserable. For one quarter, they unleashed the power of their depth.
The Lakers beat the Bulls, 118-112, despite an off night from Davis. LeBron James led the team with his third triple-double in a row: 30 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists.
But it was a lineup of reserves that took the game back for the Lakers. Troy Daniels, Kyle Kuzma, Alex Caruso, Quinn Cook and Howard started the fourth quarter and took the Lakers on a 14-0 run to take the lead after trailing by as many as 19 points in the first half.
Cook finished with 17 points while Kuzma added 15. Howard scored six points with six rebounds, but was a menace defensively.
The Lakers secured their sixth consecutive win by going 3-0 on this road trip.
Davis looks forward each year to playing in his hometown, but didn't put on much of a show early in the game. He missed seven of eight shots to start and could be seen hanging his head on the bench in frustration. Davis returned late in the fourth quarter and finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and three assists.
While the rest of his teammates struggled, James did what he could. He fueled an 8-0 run in the second quarter to pull the Lakers to within six points. But the Bulls answered back in a big way, taking advantage of turnovers to extend their lead. Chicago's 19-point lead in the second quarter marked the largest deficit the Lakers had faced against any team all season.
Heading into the fourth quarter, the Lakers trailed by 13. That's when Lakers coach Frank Vogel trusted his bench to fix what, Tuesday night at least, most of his starters could not.
