Christmas Day Basketball: Chicago Bulls Bulldoze LA Lakers in Opening Game (HIGHLIGHTS)

Basketball enthusiasts across the world had to wait till Christmas Day for a game in the U.S.'s National Basketball Association (NBA) to tip off.

Talks between the players and the management, over a variety of issues, threatened to cancel the season. However, the season has finally started and the Christmas Day games did not disappoint.

There were five games scheduled for Dec. 25; the third of these - the Chicago Bulls vs the Los Angeles Lakers made for some nail-biting moments.

The Bulls, in the dying moments of the fourth quarter, showed some real skills and took a one-point lead with just five seconds on the clock. The Lakers tried hard all game but Luol Deng denied Kobe Bryant a two-pointer at the death and the match finished Bulls 88: Lakers 87.

Watch the highlights here...