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The Chicago Bulls have a record of 3-11, which ranks them 14th best team in the east and fifth best team in the central division. Chicago is going through a bit of a rough patch in their season right now, which is good news for the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Bulls have lost six of the past seven games, averaging 98 points and have shot under 40 percent from the field in three of this outings. Still, there have been some glimpses of light at the end of the tunnel for Chicago, most notably Lauri Markkanen, the seven-foot Finnish, rookie forward.
This visit will mark David Newba’s first time being in Staples Center since being let go earlier this offseason, though whether he plays or not is not currently known.
The Lakers are hoping to continue their good play from their previous game against the Denver Nuggets, where they racked up 127 points on a season-high 36 assists, helmed by stellar play from Lonzo Ball and Julius “You Can’t Handle” Randle.
Lonzo has consistently found ways to impact games, even when his shot isn’t falling. Against the Nuggets Ball pulled down 16 rebounds, which allowed him to push the pace on offense and put the rest of his teammates in favorable positions.
Randle, coming off a 24 point, seven rebound and five assists performance, will be matched up with Bull’s forward Markkanen, who should be a good test. Markkanen’s length could be something that gives Randle problems, but his strength and speed should give the Finnish rookie all sorts of fits.
This game is a very winnable game for the Lakers, who need to collect as many wins as they can before they embark on a tough stretch of games, starting with the Warriors on November 29th. Los Angeles will look to start building some momentum from their last game in Denver to kick the Bulls while they are down.
Lastly, this game is between the Lopez twins, which is interesting because Robin Lopez always finds a way to bother his brother Brook with his stout defense. Hopefully, Brook Lopez will continue to be an anchor on defense and a consistent threat on offense.
Time: 7:30 p.m. PT
TV: Spectrum SportsNet, ALT