NBA Matchup: LA Lakers vs Chicago Bulls
Date: December 19th 2021
Time: 8:00 PM ET
The Los Angeles Lakers look to end their three-game road trip against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center. The last time these teams faced each other in the 2021-22 NBA regular season, the Chicago Bulls defeated the LA Lakers 120-103.
Los Angeles Lakers season so far
The LA Lakers will take on the Chicago Bulls after suffering a tough loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Lake show was shorthanded as Talen Horton-Tucker, Dwight Howard, Avery Bradley, Malik Monk were listed in health and safety protocol. LA also lost Anthony Davis in the middle of the game because of an MCL strain. In the last ten games, the Lakers are averaging 111.2 points, 45.2 rebounds, 26.1 assists, 9.1 steals and 5.6 blocks per game while shooting 47.7% from the field. LA has allowed 107.1 points as the tenth best defensive in the league.
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— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) December 18, 2021
Isaiah Thomas was the biggest positive against the Timberwolves. IT scored 19 points in 21 minutes as he made his NBA return after a failed stint with Pelicans last season. But for the Lakers, LeBron James has been the leader of the team. He is averaging 26.8 points over the last 10 games for Los Angeles.
Chicago Bulls season so far
The Bulls haven’t performed well in their two-game road trip, losing both games. They are back at home, where they won their last two games, and will hope to end their losing streak with a win over the Lakers. Chicago is averaging 108.3 points per game. They scored 92 points in their last game, making 37.3 percent of their field goals and 42.5 percent of their three-pointers. The Bulls has played well defensively, giving up 105.7 points per game. They gave up 118 points in their last game and will need to play better if they want to win this game.
DeMar is available to play vs. the Lakers.
“It was a boring 10 days… physically, conditioning wise I feel like I’ll be fine.”
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) December 19, 2021
Nikola Vucevic and Zach Lavine have been the top performers for Chicago. Vucevic is averaging 15.2 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists. While LaVine is putting up 25.3 points over the last 10 games. But for the Bulls, Demar Derozan is set to return against the Lakers after missing many games due to COVID-19. Demar is averaging is 26.4 points to go along with 5.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game as the fifth-best scorer in the league.
LA Lakers vs Chicago Bulls Match Prediction
The Bulls were struggling offensively before they were shut down for a week because of multiple players testing positive for COVID-19. They were held under 100 points per game in their last three games as they were shooting 41 per cent from the field. They also struggled from the free-throw line and were very careless with the ball.
Even though the Lakers have struggled defensively this season, they played well during their streak and held their last three opponents under 105 points per game. They are also one of the best defensive rebounding teams in the league and won’t give the Bulls a lot of extra scoring opportunities. Hence, the Los Angeles Lakers are favourites against the Chicago Bulls.
Injury Report
LA Lakers
LeBron James – Abdomen – Game Time Decision
Dwight Howard – Covid-19 – Expected to be out until at least Dec 23
Malik Monk – Covid-19 – Expected to be out until at least Dec 21
Trevor Ariza – Ankle – Game Time Decision
Anthony Davis – Knee – Expected to be out until at least Jan 15
Austin Reaves – Covid-19 – Expected to be out until at least Dec 25
Avery Bradley – Covid-19 – Expected to be out until at least Dec 28
Talen Horton-Tucker – Covid-19 – Expected to be out until at least Dec 24
Kendrick Nunn – Knee – Expected to be out until at least Jan 2
Chicago Bulls
Ayo Dosunmu – Covid-19 – Expected to be out until at least Dec 26
Zach LaVine – Covid-19 – Expected to be out until at least Dec 26
Troy Brown Jr – Covid-19 – Expected to be out until at least Dec 22
Matt Thomas- Covid-19 – Game Time Decision
Derrick Jones Jr. – Covid-19 – Game Time Decision
Alize Johnson – Covid-19 – Expected to be out until at least Dec 26
Patrick Williams – Wrist – Expected to be out until at least Apr 10
How to watch LA Lakers vs Chicago Bulls?
The NBA League Pass will stream the game live. Local coverage of the matchup will be available via NBC Sports Chicago and Spectrum SportsNet.
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