The Lakers and LeBron James found themselves on the wrong end of another heartbreaking loss to the Bulls—twice in one week. This time, it was a brutal 119-117 defeat on Thursday, sealed by a ridiculous half-court buzzer-beater from Josh Giddey. L.A. looked like they had this one in the bag, holding a five-point lead with 12 seconds left. But in a wild sequence, they completely unraveled. Chicago wiped out the deficit in just six seconds, flipping the script in a blink.

The weak link for the Lakers? Surprisingly LeBron James. With 9.8 seconds left, Patrick Williams drilled a corner three, slashing the Lakers’ lead to just two. All L.A. had to do was inbound cleanly and take the foul, but things went south fast. LeBron lobbed a weak inbound pass, and Josh Giddey pounced, swiping the ball before kicking it out to a wide-open Coby White. White didn’t hesitate—splash. Suddenly, the Lakers’ lead was gone.

Austin Reaves dove hard to the rim and finished strong to give the Lakers a one-point edge. Just 3.3 seconds remained, and the Bulls were out of timeouts. That should have been enough, right? Apparently not. Giddey, the man who stole the inbounds pass moments earlier, waltzed up the court completely unchecked. With James closing in, he heaved a half-court prayer—and banked it in. Game over.

The Lakers’ heartbreaking 119-117 loss to the Bulls wasn’t just another tough defeat—it was a collapse that left franchise legend James Worthy shaking his head. The former Laker didn’t hold back in his postgame analysis, calling out the 4x MVP and the entire team for their careless mistakes in the final moments.

“Bonehead,” Worthy said bluntly when discussing the Lakers’ late-game meltdown. “You just can’t be that damn careless at the end of the game. Not protecting the basketball after you fought back… Austin Reaves hit the shot, and then Giddey hits that shot. I mean, LeBron, that inbounds pass was so careless. You just gotta take care of the basketball. And when they look back at this one, man, it’s just going to be a shameful loss.”

Worthy’s frustration wasn’t unwarranted. James leads the NBA in career turnovers with 5,449 giveaways, averaging 3.5 per game. And lately, the problem has only gotten worse—over the last 20 games, he’s turning it over nearly 4 times per contest. Those numbers only reinforced Worthy’s criticism of James’ late-game decision-making.

After the match, the Lakers star had one message, that they’re not going to go into the Saturday’s match thinking about this loss but rather with a fresh mindset. But Worthy doesn’t agree.

“This was not going to just slip away, you know. There are losses that you can just put behind you, but this one’s going to stick around a little bit. I don’t care what anybody says,” Worthy continued.

The collapse happened in the blink of an eye. The Lakers gave up nine points in just 10.3 seconds, a stat so shocking that Worthy couldn’t believe it. “You give this one away with some bonehead plays, you know. And so, yeah, you’re going to think about this one, and hopefully, you’ll be able to regain your consciousness in the next game so you can, you know, have a win against Memphis.”

With the Lakers fighting for their postseason hopes, these mistakes can’t keep happening. James has always been known for his basketball IQ, but his turnover struggles are becoming harder to ignore—especially in moments that decide games.

With the Lakers fighting for their postseason hopes, these mistakes can’t keep happening. And with the standings tightening, L.A. can’t afford to give away any more wins.

Can LeBron James and the Lakers make it to the playoffs?

The Lakers’ collapse against the Bulls wasn’t just another loss—it might be the one that costs them a secure playoff spot. Blowing an 18-point lead and watching Josh Giddey sink a half-court dagger in a 119-117 defeat gave Chicago the season series. Just a week earlier, they had embarrassed L.A. 146-115.

Now sitting at 44-29, the Lakers are in a tight race with Memphis for the No. 4 seed. With just nine games left, the margin for error is almost nonexistent. If they slip up again, they could drop into the dreaded play-in tournament.

Saturday’s game against Memphis is a must-win. The Grizzlies lead the season series 2-1, meaning a win would give them the tiebreaker. Even without Ja Morant, Memphis won’t be easy to handle, especially with home-court advantage.

L.A. then heads home for two crucial matchups. First, they face the 48-26 Houston Rockets on March 31 in a game that could impact the top of the West. A win ties the season series, but a loss could push them closer to the No. 7 seed. Three nights later, they take on Steph Curry’s Warriors, another game that could shake up the standings.

The final stretch? A nightmare road trip. Games against OKC, Dallas, and Portland could decide everything. If the Lakers can’t clean up their late-game mistakes, they might be fighting for survival in the play-in.