The Chicago Bulls travel to the Crypto.com Arena to do battle with the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night. Here’s a Lakers vs. Bulls prediction. This article will include a Lakers vs. Bulls pick.
Chicago Bulls Betting Preview
The Chicago Bulls are starting to turn things around, as they’ve now won three of their past five games and they will be hoping to keep it going after outlasting the Warriors in a 130-124 overtime road defeat on Tuesday. Matas Buzelis led the team with 41 points on 16 of 28 shooting, Tre Jones added 22 points with five assists off the bench, Josh Giddey racked up a triple-double of 21 points with 13 rebounds and 17 assists, and Leonard Miller chipped in with 17 points. As a team, the Bulls shot 45 percent from the field and 15 of 47 from the 3-point line as they squandered a 13-point lead and allowed the Warriors back into the contest. However, the Bulls made up for it by kicking off the overtime period with a 9-3 run to secure the gritty road win.
Los Angeles Lakers Betting Preview
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers have been heating up recently, as they’ve won six of their last seven games overall and they will be aiming for a fourth straight victory after powering past the Timberwolves in a 120-106 home win on Tuesday. Luka Doncic led the team with a triple-double of 31 points with 11 rebounds and 11 assists, Austin Reaves tallied 31 points with seven rebounds and eight assists, while Deandre Ayton chipped in with 14 points and 12 rebounds. As a team, the Lakers shot 48 percent from the field and 11 of 38 from the 3-point line as they really struggled to get going and scored just 16 points in the first quarter, but it was still a really close game until the third quarter, where the Lakers exploded for 39 points to lead by as many as 23 points at one stage.
Why the Los Angeles Lakers will win
- The Lakers have won each of their last eight games against teams that held a losing record.
- The Bulls have lost nine of their last 10 road games on the first leg of a back-to-back.
- The home team has covered the spread in each of the Lakers’ last six games.
- The Bulls have failed to cover the spread in each of their last four games following an overtime win.
Why the Chicago Bulls will win
- The Bulls have won each of their last four games on the road as underdogs against Pacific Division opponents.
- The Lakers have lost each of their last five games against Eastern Conference opponents after winning as underdogs.
- The Lakers have failed to cover the spread in each of their last six games against Eastern Conference opponents after winning as underdogs.
- The Bulls have covered the spread in eight of their last nine games as road underdogs against Western Conference opponents.
Total Points Facts
- Eight of the last nine games between the Bulls and Lakers have gone OVER the total points line.
- Seven of the Bulls’ last eight games have gone UNDER the total points line.
Los Angeles Lakers Player Facts
- Luka Doncic ranks 1st amongst qualified players for points per game (32.5) this season.
- Luke Kennard ranks 1st amongst qualified players for 3P% (49.5%) this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Lakers rank 1st in the league for opponent blocks per game this season (3.6).
- The Lakers rank 1st in the league for field goal percentage this season (49.8%).
- The Bulls rank 29th in the league for opponent field goal attempts per game this season (93.4).
- The Bulls rank 28th in the league for opponent assists per game this season (28.4).
Lakers vs Bulls Prediction
The Bulls are still missing Jaden Ivey, Zach Collins and Anfernee Simons with Collin Sexton, Guerschon Yabusele and Isaac Okoro all questionable, while the Lakers are keeping an eye on LeBron James, Maxi Kleber and Marcus Smart, who are all questionable for this one. The Lakers beat the Bulls by 129-118 in their only meeting this season back on Jan 26, but there’s reason for the Lakers to be a little cautious this time, as the Bulls have come to life with some decent basketball in the past five games. The Lakers are still clear favorites at home, but in a game where both teams could be missing a bunch of players, I can see the Bulls keeping this game relatively close if they can turn it into a track meet.