The Los Angeles Lakers stretched their hot streak to four wins in five outings on Monday night, topping the Chicago Bulls at United Center behind another dominant showing from Luka Doncic and a highlight-reel dunk by center Jaxson Hayes.
Doncic paced the offense with 46 points, seven rebounds and 12 assists. LeBron James and Rui Hachimura added key support, while Marcus Smart and Hayes provided efficient minutes off the bench. Hayes finished with eight points on 3-for-4 shooting, four rebounds and the play that lit up the arena late in the fourth quarter.
Hayes goes Eastbay on the break
With no defender between himself and the rim after a steal, the 7-footer elected to go between his legs for an “Eastbay” slam, a move rarely attempted in live NBA action.
“I just got the steal and saw him out the corner of my eye for a second, then I saw Rui in front of him, so I knew he wasn’t running with me,” Hayes told Spectrum SportsNet. “I was just like, ‘frick it, I’m gonna try it real quick.’”
The dunk marked at least the second time Hayes has pulled off the maneuver in a Lakers uniform, matching one he completed on April 2, 2024. He said the move has been in his repertoire since high school.
“I’ve done it a few times in an NBA game before,” he said. “Back in middle school on a small hoop I tried a bunch of dunks, and by my sophomore or junior year of high school I could actually do it.”
Hayes admitted he briefly feared the attempt might backfire. “I thought I was about to get hung by the rim so bad and get yanked out the game right away,” he added with a laugh. “Luckily, God was on my side and got that ball over the rim.”
Lakers eye continued momentum
The victory over Chicago, which entered the night on a four-game winning streak, follows a similar result against the Dallas Mavericks. After that game, James said he believed the Lakers were starting to build momentum for the season’s stretch run, a sentiment likely strengthened by Monday’s performance.
The Lakers will try to keep the surge going when they return to action later this week.
Source: Lakers Nation
