Giddey kills Lakers with a last-second half-court 3-pointer

In a crazy finish to the game, Australian Josh Giddey hit a 3-pointer from midcourt to give the Chicago Bulls a 119-117 win Thursday over the Los Angeles Lakers, led by Luka Doncic and LeBron James.

This miraculous basket capped a stunning comeback by the home team, who scored nine points in the final 10 seconds amid jubilation from the nearly 22,000 fans at the United Center.

The Lakers conceded this blow just a day after winning on the buzzer against the Indiana Pacers with a basket by LeBron James.

On Thursday, "King James" contributed to his team's loss in one of the key plays down the stretch.

The Lakers, who had an 18-point lead with 10 minutes left, were forced to play a tight finish in the face of a barrage of 3-pointers from the Bulls, who scored on 11 of 14 attempts from deep in the final quarter.

Still, four consecutive points from guard Austin Reaves put the Angels ahead 115-110 and appeared to seal the win with 12 seconds on the clock.

Just two seconds later, Patrick Williams nailed a 3-pointer from the corner for Chicago, and LeBron James misfired from under the rim on a pass that was intercepted by Giddey, who assisted on a 3-pointer by Coby White.

Reaves put the Lakers back ahead with three seconds left, but Giddey had time to receive the ball and launch a running shot from half-court that gave Chicago an unlikely win.

The first reaction from the Lakers' side was one of "devastation," acknowledged their coach, J.J. Redick, to the press.

Giddey, who has been playing the best basketball of his career late in the season, finished the game with 25 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists.

For the Lakers, Reaves was the top scorer with 30 points.

LeBron James had 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Luka Doncic 25 points and 10 assists.

Pacers scoring record

The eight-game day also included a crushing 162-109 thrashing by the Indiana Pacers over the Washington Wizards' home court.

The 162 points scored by the Pacers are a franchise record since its founding in 1967 and also the most by any team this NBA season.

Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton led the thrashing in front of 15,000 frustrated Washington fans, the worst team of the season.

The All-Star point guard scored 29 points and also made 7 of the 27 3-pointers the Pacers converted, another franchise record.

In Miami, the Heat defeated the Atlanta Hawks 122-112 with 36 points from shooting guard Tyler Herro. The Hawks' loss mathematically assured a New York Knicks' playoff berth.

In Orlando, the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Magic 101-92 and remain unbeaten in the three games since the return of Anthony Davis.

The center, who landed in February in the trade that sent Doncic to Los Angeles, finished with a modest 15 points and 7 rebounds.

The West-leading Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Memphis Grizzlies 125-104 to reach 61 wins this season, the best mark in their history with nine games still to play.