Lakers vs Bulls Preview: A Familiar Face
The Lakers face one of the best in the Eastern Conference on Thursday night in STAPLES Center
The Los Angeles Lakers put up a fight on Tuesday night inside STAPLES Center as they only lost thanks to a bit Dirk Nowitzki heroics. That outing certainly wasn’t without its troubling aspects for the Lakers, but they’ll need to put that behind them on Thursday night in their matchup with the Chicago Bulls, a return for current Windy City center Pau Gasol.
The Bulls have been wildly inconsistent this season and have yet to really get over the hump. Moreover, that seems like it could potentially be difficult as Nikola Mirotic has now joined the long list of injured players for Chicago for the foreseeable future.
However, even an injured Bulls team has the potential to be a bear of a matchup against the Lakers. Not only could the likes of former Laker Pau cause the current Lakers frontcourt problems, but Jimmy Butler has more than enough talent to fully exploit LA’s shortcomings on the perimeter defensively.
More from Lake Show Life
- Darvin Ham adds to Max Christie hype train after Lakers preseason opener
- Is LeBron James playing tonight? Latest Lakers vs Warriors update
- Can Darvin Ham put all of the Lakers puzzle pieces together?
- Lakers news: Darvin Ham knows his fifth starter, LeBron James and Rui Hachimura, Jalen Hood-Schifino praise
- Michael Malone’s painfully ironic comment has Lakers fans heated
What’s worse, though, is that things aren’t getting any better for the Lakers in terms of the atmosphere, head coaching, and so on. The fact that D’Angelo Russell was benched for the final two minutes of Tuesday’s outing against the Mavericks with the game on the line was the ultimate revelation that things haven’t changed even with the results not being as lopsided.
Perhaps this will be another game where the results aren’t as lopsided, but that would be surprising. Hopefully the young backcourt duo of Russell and Jordan Clarkson will have the chance to shine with Kobe Bryant and possibly Lou Williams being out of commission, but the Bulls likely have far too much talent for the Lakers to realistically stand a chance.
Chicago Bulls vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Date: Thursday, Jan. 28
Start Time: 7:30 p.m. PT
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Arena: STAPLES Center
TV Info: TWC Sportsnet, TNT
Live Stream: WatchTNT
Radio: Here
Betting Odds
Point Spread: Bulls -8.5
Moneyline: Bulls -400, Lakers +325
O/U: 200.5
Injury Report
Los Angeles Lakers: Brandon Bass (foot)—Probable, Kobe Bryant (shoulder, Achilles)—Questionable, Lou Williams (illness)—Questionable
Chicago Bulls: Joakim Noah (shoulder)—Out, Nikola Mirotic (appendectomy)—Out, Mike Dunleavy (back)—Out, Derrick Rose (hamstring)—Probable, E’Twaun Moore (hamstring)—Day-to-Day, Kirk Hinrich (quad)—Day-to-Day
Prediction
20. 106. 24. Final. 93
Though the Bulls are seemingly getting more short-handed by the day, they are still far more talented than the Lakers. The way that Butler can attack off of the wings and with Pau’s advantage in the post, I don’t think the Lakers stand much of a chance at winning this one on Thursday night.
Next: Shaq Is Getting a Statue Outside STAPLES Center
Be sure to check back with Lake Show Life for all your Lakers news, analysis, updates, and more.