The Lakers looked primed for a victory before a collapse in the final minute against the Chicago Bulls.

After in a earlier in the week, the Lakers sought redemption on the second night of a back-to-back.

Not only did they not achieve redemption,  monumental collapse. A series of mistakes culminated in Bulls guard Josh Giddey making a half-court buzzer-beater.

It all began with a tip-in by Jaxson Hayes, who extended the Lakers’ lead to seven points with just 1:25 left in the fourth quarter. On the subsequent Chicago possession, they scored an and-one as Austin Reaves was called for a blocking foul on Giddey.

The lead is four with 1:15 on the clock. The Lakers come up empty on their next offensive possession, as Luka Dončić misses a step-back jumper.

The Bulls push up the floor with less than a minute to go. A defensive mistake ensued from a simple miscommunicated switch. Watch below as Kevin Huerter sets the ghost screen, keeping LeBron James’ attention on Giddey for a moment, allowing for the open pop to the three.

The Lakers lead is cut to one, 111-110.

Reaves performs heroics on the other end, finishing a tough drive and bank shot to put the Lakers back up three with 26 seconds remaining.

A solid Lakers defensive possession followed as they forced an airballed floater, sending Reaves to the line with 12 seconds to go. He knocks in two free throws to push the Lakers lead to five.

A lackadaisical mistake followed as James went to Nikola Vučević on the inbound. Watch below as he leaves Patrick Williams wide open in the corner, and he subsequently drills his second three of the night.

Now, the madness begins. And there isn’t even a rational explanation for this one.

Giddey defends the inbounds as Bulls players pressure Dončić and Reaves. In the clip below, James forces a pass that gets stolen, leading to a Coby White three-pointer that gives the Bulls a one-point lead.

The Lakers had a timeout but chose not to use it.

On the next Lakers possession, Reaves comes through in the clutch once again. A driving layup gives him 30 points for the night, and the Lakers lead 117-116.

The Bulls are forced to inbound with three seconds remaining and no timeouts left. Watch as the Lakers all retreat and fail to cover the inbounder, Giddey, who makes a running half-court prayer that gets answered.

The Bulls completed an 18-point fourth-quarter comeback, hitting 11-14 from three in the final frame, and closed on a 15-4 run. An unimaginable loss and mental breakdown for a veteran group with high aspirations.

The Western Conference standings offer very little margin for error, and the Lakers, particularly, can not afford to give away games like they did on Thursday. With only nine games remaining, this game could potentially have major implications on seeding.

What looked like a prosperous night is spoiled by an awful ending. A game the Lakers thoroughly controlled in the second half goes into the loss column.