The Los Angeles Lakers and the Chicago Bulls collide at the United Center on Saturday night.
The Los Angeles Lakers have been in stellar form as they’ve won 12 of their first 16 games and they will be looking to stay hot after taking down the red-hot Bucks in a 113-106 road win on Thursday. LeBron James led the team with 34 points, six rebounds and eight assists, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope drained seven 3-pointers on his way to 23 points while Anthony Davis chipped in with 18 points, nine rebounds, six assists and two blocks. As a team, the Lakers shot 46 percent from the field and 19 of 37 from the 3-point line as they took the early lead with a 34-24 second quarter push, before running away with it late with a flurry of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter. Dennis Schroder had himself a rough shooting night as he shot just two of 10 from the field.
Meanwhile, the Chicago Bulls have lost eight of their first 15 games, but they will be gunning for a season-high fourth straight victory after last night’s 123-110 road win over the Hornets. Zach LaVine led the team with 25 points and nine assists, Lauri Markkanen added 23 points on 10 of 17 shooting, Coby White scored 18 points with eight assists while Garrett Temple chipped in with 15 points off the bench. As a team, the Bulls shot 51 percent from the field and 15 of 43 from the 3-point line as they poured in 61 points in the first half, before running away with it in the third quarter with another 34 points. On the defensive end, the Bulls did a nice job of forcing the Hornets into 20 turnovers, while holding them to just seven made 3-pointers.
Looking at the betting trends, the Lakers are 4-0 ATS in their last four road games, 2-5 ATS in their last seven games against a team with a losing record and 5-1 ATS in their last six games overall. The Bulls are 10-1 ATS in their last 11 games as an underdog, 7-3 ATS in their last 10 home games and 7-1 ATS in their last eight games overall.
Head to head, the under is 11-5 in the last 16 meetings in Chicago.
The Lakers have been on a tear this season and they will be full of confidence after taking down the red-hot Bucks in their last outing, but they could be without James for this one as he is currently listed as questionable with an ankle sprain. The Bulls have come to life over their past three games after a slow start to the season and they were impressive in last night’s win over the Hornets. The Lakers are 4-0 ATS in their last four road games, but I think the Bulls will be good enough to keep this one to single digits, especially if James is unable to suit up here.