Things are going from bad to worse for the Los Angeles Lakers as they absorbed their seventh straight defeat with a 92-90 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night. The 16-time NBA champions will look for a change in fortunes later tonight when they host the Chicago Bulls in an intriguing showdown at Staples Center.
Can the Lakers finally snap their losing skid tonight? Or will the Bulls pile more misery on Byron Scott’s squad? Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this NBA matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our previews of Toronto vs. New York and Atlanta vs. Indiana.
Chicago’s home woes continued on Tuesday as the Bulls suffered a gut-wrenching 89-84 loss to the Miami Heat. The Bulls squandered an eight-point fourth-quarter advantage in that game against the Heat as they stumbled to their fourth consecutive defeat at United Center. Since a season-best six-game winning streak, the Bulls have gone just 3-7 in their last 10 outings.
One of the main reasons behind their sudden dip in form is their lackluster showing on the offensive end. The Bulls shot just 39.8 percent from the field in their loss to the Heat on Tuesday. Dating to an 83-77 loss to Dallas on January 15, the Bulls have been limited to just 25.0 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
That being said, the Bulls can only do so much with all the injuries that have ravaged their squad. Derrick Rose missed the second half against Miami because of lower back and right hamstring injuries and is questionable for tonight’s game against the Lakers. They’re also dealing with long-term injuries to Joakim Noah and Mike Dunleavy, and Nikola Mirotic will be sidelined until after the All-Star break after having an appendectomy on Wednesday.
With all those players missing for tonight’s showdown against the Lakers, the onus are on Jimmy Butler and Pau Gasol to carry the fight for the Bulls. Butler has been phenomenal for the Bulls this season, leading the team in scoring (22.3 PPG) and steals (1.7 SPG). He scored 35 points in Chicago’s last meeting with the Lakers at Staples Center. Pau Gasol, on the other hand, was the Bulls’ lone bright spot in their loss to the Heat, scoring 19 points and grabbing 17 rebounds on Tuesday.
The Bulls are 4-6 ATS in their last 10 road games.
Los Angeles’ losing woes show no sign of abating as the Lakers crashed to their seventh consecutive defeat with a heart-breaking 92-90 loss to Dallas on Tuesday. Dirk Nowitzki scored eight of his 13 points in the final quarter as the Mavericks earned their 10th consecutive victory over the Lakers. It was another disappointing result for the reeling Lakers who have now lost 11 of their last 12 games.
The Lakers will look to end their losing rut when they face the Chicago Bulls tonight. For Los Angeles to pull off a major upset, it needs to improve on its play on the defensive end. During their current seven-game losing streak, the Lakers have been outscored by an average of 16.3 points with opponents scoring 110.0 per game and shooting at 48.8 percent.
With regards to their offense, the Lakers are expected to ride the hot hand of Julius Randle. He had 16 points and 11 rebounds in that two-point loss to Dallas. The second-year forward has been in excellent form of late, averaging 13.0 points and 11.3 boards in his last three games while shooting at a high 45.7 percent clip.
The Lakers are 6-4 ATS in their last 10 home games.
