The Los Angeles Lakers came up big in crunch time against San Antonio for their last game. On Tuesday, November 5, they’ll be up against the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls are currently 2-5, coming off a loss against the Indiana Pacers but are a team filled with young talent. Coby White was a 2019 lottery pick out of the University of North Carolina. Laura Markkanen was picked seventh overall in 2017. Kris Dunn, Zach Lavine, and Wendell Carter Jr. round out the lottery talent.
So what can we expect for the game?
The Lakers are currently on a five-game winning streak against the Bulls. The last time Chicago won was on November 20, 2016, winning 118-110 with a 40 point performance from Jimmy Butler. The Lakers have won the last two season series.
Let’s take a look at the stats. The Lakers are currently 15th in scoring offense (109.8 points per game) while the Bulls sit at 22nd (105 points per game). Field goal percentage is where you can see the real discrepancy. Overall, the Lakers are shooting 46.7% from the field which ranks them at seventh in the league. The Bulls are second to last at 41.6%.
One of the glaring factors is how each team shoots at the rim. The Lakers are shooting 68.8% while the Bulls are shooting 51.4%. Carter Jr. (Hov!) is shooting an impressive 61.5% from the field while Markkanen is shooting a paltry 38.7%. Anthony Davis has a defensive rating of 94.3 through six games and his length can prove to be bothersome for the Chicago bigs.
Zach Lavine is currently leading Chicago with 21.1 points per game and has the capability to go off offensively.
The Lakers have fared as a good defensive team through six games this season. Synergy has ranked them excellent in the half-court, only allowing .81 points per possession and keeping opponents shooting 38.1% from the field in that regard.
The Bulls have a 108.1 defensive rating (18th in the league) through seven games. The Lakers have proven that they have players who can have big offensive games. Who says LeBron can’t have another triple-double? He’s currently leading the league in assists so he proved that he can set up his teammates. Anthony Davis is scoring 28.5 points per game through the early portion of the season. If there was a game to go off, he has the capability to against the Bulls in his hometown.
This also will be Kyle Kuzma’s third game back. This would be a good opportunity to shake some rust off to show that he can contribute to a weaker Lakers bench unit.
The Lakers take on the Bulls at 5 pm PST at the United Center.
