The LA Lakers are set to take on the Chicago Bulls on Thursday evening. The game will be part of the Lakers’ current five-game homestand and will also mark Chicago’s lone visit to Crypto.com Arena this season. The Lakers won the previous road matchup in Chicago 129-118 on Jan. 26.
LA is on a three-game win streak, most recently defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves 120-106 on Tuesday. The Western Conference is tougher than ever, and with multiple teams vying for a top-four spot, they need to win these games.
The Bulls are losers of seven of their last four games, but those three wins came against the likes of the Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks. They are fighting for a play-in spot and need to rack up wins and some luck to make the postseason. The game tips off at 10:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast live on CHSN+ and SportsNet LA.
Bulls vs Lakers Odds
Moneyline: Bulls (+400) vs Lakers (-550)
Spread: Bulls +11.5 (-117) vs Lakers -11.5 (-103)
Total (O/U): Bulls o234.5 (-110) vs Lakers u234.5 (-110)
Editor’s note: The odds could change close to the game. The odds listed were as per available information at the time of writing.
Bulls vs Lakers Preview and Prediction
The Lakers are one of the hottest teams in the league. The team has been flying high offensively in the absence of LeBron James, who missed the last three games with an elbow injury. There was something wonderfully nonchalant about the way Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves clicked against the Minnesota Timberwolves and ran the offense for the Lakers during Tuesday’s win.
Doncic scored 44, 35 and 31 points in the last three games, while Reaves put up 19, 25 and 31 during that span. The Lakers also boast an impressive 6-1 record in the month of March, which has put them into a four-way tie for a top-four spot over that stretch. And it hasn’t been just the two players clicking, everyone is chipping in right now.
But that doesn’t mean everything will end well in LA. They still need to rack up wins and get back to playing a more defensively sound game. The Lakers currently sit fourth in the conference, tied with the Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves, but they could be knocked down to a play-in spot with a few more losses.
The Chicago Bulls have been shaky at best for most of the season, but the team desperately needs to string wins together to remain in the play-in picture in the East. After a rough month of February, when the Bulls lost 11 straight games, they have begun to regain some momentum, winning three of their last five games.
Matas Buzelis set a new career high with 41 points in Wednesday’s OT win over the Golden State Warriors. Whenever the Bulls have needed big scoring, Buzelis has been there to answer the call. He scored five of 12 points in overtime. The 21-year-old is averaging 19.8 points per game since the All-Star break.
With a 27-38 record, the Bulls’ recent run hasn’t put them in a play-in position just yet. They are 12th in the East, tied with the Milwaukee Bucks, who hold the 11th spot. The Bulls may still be a long way from being a play-in team, but their current string of success shows some promising signs. However, they need to be more consistent for the remainder of the final stretch of games.
Prediction
The oddsmakers favor the Lakers to secure a lopsided win at home. We expect the same, as LA should continue its homestand with a victory while covering the spread against a struggling Chicago roster. This should be a high-scoring game, with the total going past 235.5 points.
Bulls vs Lakers Player Props
- Luka Doncic O/U 31.5 points – Take the over
- Austin Reaves O/U 21.5 points – Take the under
- Josh Giddey O/U 17.5 points – Take the under
- Matas Buzelis O/U 18.5 points – Take the over
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