The Chicago Bulls will play their first game in six days against the Los Angeles Lakers since their COVID-19 outbreak. DeMar DeRozan will finally play his first game since December 4th. The Lakers are coming off a 110-92 loss against the Timberwolves. But more importantly, the Lakers will be without Anthony Davis due to knee strain and head coach Frank Vogel who entered NBA’s health and safety protocols.
Three Keys to Bulls Getting Win
Get Early Start
The Bulls have not played in almost a week, and their only practice this week was yesterday. So that means the players returning DeMar DeRozan, Javonte Green, and Coby White need to find their rhythm early. I don’t expect all three players to play “great,” but they should be solid. Also, the Bulls have not gotten early leads against a good team lately. Now they will need to play excellent against LeBron James and the Lakers. The Bulls did not win the first quarter battles in the last two games.
Bench Scoring
One of the reasons the bench scoring is bad lately is having g-league players off the bench and losing their crucial bench players due to their COVID-19 outbreak. With 11 players expected to be ready for tonight, the bench needs to be prepared for more playing time. The Lakers will down some players as well. But they bench players that could be starters on other teams, including former Bull Rajon Rondo, Carmelo Anthony, and DeAndre Jordan. Also, their newest member on the Lakers squad is Isaiah Thomas.
Play For 48 Minutes
The Bulls have not been great consistently for a full 48 minutes. If the Bulls build a lead, they can not let the Lakers back in the game. You can’t expect to play from behind every game, especially with the conditioning status of most Bulls players. Players need extra rest because of their back-to-back game tomorrow against the Houston Rockets. The Bulls need to play great every minute against this Lakers team that can get hot out of nowhere.
Game Prediction
The Lakers losing Anthony Davis is huge and the Bulls not having Zach Lavine is also huge. But with the Bulls fans being back in the United Center and DeMar DeRozan being back and playing like an All-Star this season. Also, you can’t forget about LeBron James and how he has destroyed Bulls’ fans’ hearts in the past. With the recent Lakers struggles, I expect the Bulls to get an ugly win at home to start their homestand.
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