The Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls are kicking the 2011-12 NBA season off in a big way at the Staples Center with a back-and-forth, hotly contested game. Heading into the final quarter, The Lakers are holding a slim 69-68 lead.
The Lakers were able to take a 65-63 lead, their first of the second half, with 4:58 left in the third quarter. A nine-foot jumper by Kobe Bryant tied it 63-63. Bryant stole a bad pass from Derrick Rose and passed it over to Derek Fisher for the layup and the lead.
A three-pointer by Rose and layup from Luol Deng gave the Bulls a 68-67 lead with 2:50 left in the quarter. Steve Blake grabbed a rebound with 0:34 left and got it over to Josh McRoberts for a big dunk to take a 69-68 lead that they would hang on to until the quarter ended.
For all news and information regarding the Los Angeles Lakers, please visit Silver Screen and Roll. For full coverage of the Chicago Bulls, head on over to Blog a Bull.