Chicago Bulls vs. Los Angeles Lakers Prediction, NBA Odds
The Bulls travel to Southern California after rolling to a crushing 124-96 rout of the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night, and have climbed into 10th place in the East while winning six of their past eight overall. The Lakers will be trying to win four in a row, all on home court, after topping Oklahoma City 116-111 on Friday, and now sport a .500 record for the first time this season.
The Lakers are perched as 3-point home favourites on the Sunday NBA odds. The Bulls lag as +136 moneyline underdogs, and the total is listed at 223.
Bulls vs. Lakers NBA Betting Odds
Sunday afternoon’s matchup at Crypto.com Arena marks the first meeting of the season between these clubs, and the first date in a home-and-home series that continues in Chicago on Wednesday night. The Bulls’ swept their two clashes with the Lakers last season, including a decisive 121-103 victory in LA, ending an eight-game straight up losing streak in head-to-head play. With the Bulls averaging 118 points per game, the OVER paid out in both of last season’s tilts, and has gone 5-1 over their past six matchups.
Chicago Bulls
After a hard fought first quarter, the Bulls found a higher gear at both ends of the court in Friday’s win in Portland. The club put the game out of reach with an impressive 35-19 run in the second quarter, and received contributions from up and down the lineup while shooting 60.7% from beyond the arc while holding the Blazers to just 43% overall and a dismal 19.4% on threes. Zach Lavine led the aerial attack, going 6-for-9 from downtown and tallying 33 points on the night. Overall, Lavine has averaged 33 points over his past five road games, and has flashed his playmaking ability while averaging 6.5 assists over his past four outings. DeMar DeRozan missed the game due to a quad injury and his status for Sunday is uncertain. However, the bench stepped up, with youngsters Ayo Dosunmu and Coby White contributing a combined 32 points including seven total threes.
Los Angeles Lakers
The absence of Lebron James has done little to sour the Lakers’ bid for a spot in the postseason. Sidelined by an ankle injury since February 26, it remains unclear when James will return to action. After carrying this team through long and sometimes brutal stretches earlier this season, James’ absence has not resulted in the meltdown some observers have expected. The club has gone 8-5 straight up sine James was hurt, including a 6-3 mark at home over that stretch. Despite battling nagging injury woes of his own, Anthony Davis has continued to provide the spark. AD racked up 37 points and 15 rebounds on Friday in his first 30+ point performance on home hardwood in seven games, and has averaged 13.6 boards in his past eight overall. D’Angelo Russell dropped 26 points on Friday. But his health remains a concern as he deals with a hip injury he aggravated on Friday, and which leaves him questionable for Sunday.
CHI
LAL