The Los Angeles Lakers were perilously close to a second home loss to an inferior opponent this week, after a lackluster first half against the lowly Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night. They came out with renewed vigor in the second half, behind particularly notable performances by Julius Randle and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, prevailing 103-94.

In this installment of Laker Film Room, I take a look at the porous perimeter defense that plagued the Lakers in the first 24 minutes, how they tightened that up in the second half, Julius Randle’s injection of enthusiasm, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s clutch performance that put the game away.

The goal of Laker Film Room is to provide Lakers fans with consistent, thoughtful content that helps you enjoy the game on a deeper level. I’m able to do that because I don’t work for a publication that demands that I cover the most sensational material, which typically gets the most views and clicks. As a result, I rely on the support of Lakers fans to help me produce my work. If you believe in what I do, please considering support my work on either Venmo or Patreon.