The Chicago Bulls had their four-game winning streak snapped on Saturday with a gut-wrenching 102-95 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. It was an agonizing defeat for the Bulls who squandered a 19-point first-half advantage. They will look to get their season back on track when they lock horns with the Lakers this evening in the second game of a back-to-back. The Bulls are 1-1 in those type of games this season.
For the Bulls to return to winning ways tonight, they will need to execute much better come crunch time. Chicago made just one field goal over the final 6:30 in their loss to the Clips. The onus then is on Jimmy Butler to deliver the goods against the Lakers. He struggled mightily in the loss to the Clippers, scoring 22 points on a woeful 5-of-18 shooting from the field.
Another guy who needs to step up for the Bulls is Rajon Rondo. He just missed a triple-double in his return to the starting lineup against the Clips, finishing with nine points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Rondo will look to punish a Lakers defense that’s allowing a whopping 109.0 points per game this season, fourth-highest in the NBA.
The Bulls are 5-3 ATS on the road this season. They are pegged at +5,000to win the 2017 NBA Championship.
The Lakers may be coming off a 116-107 loss to the mighty San Antonio Spurs but they will still feel good about themselves heading into their weekend showdown with the Chicago Bulls. Trailing by as much as 17 points in the fourth quarter and playing without their top scorer D’Angelo Russell, the Lakers still managed to give the five-time NBA champions a fright, cutting the deficit to four points before eventually succumbing to the nine-point loss.
Much of the credit for the Lakers’ stunning turnaround should be given to new head coach Luke Walton. He has instilled a winning mentality to this young Lakers squad that managed just 17 wins last season. Through November 18, the Lakers have won as many games (seven) as they achieved by January 1 a season ago. Even San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich agrees with that sentiment, saying “Luke’s done a great job of making them believe and playing aggressively, and you can really see it.”
One major weapon that the Lakers utilize nowadays is their deep bench. They lead the league in bench scoring this season. Jordan Clarkson and Lou Williams once again provided that scoring punch for Los Angeles in the loss to San Antonio, racking up 20 and 24 points respectively. The Lakers need their production now more than ever with Russell out for the foreseeable future with a sore left knee.
The Lakers are 4-2 SU and 3-2-1 ATS at home this season. They are pegged at +20,000to win the 2017 NBA Championship.
