Second-year head coach Billy Donovan and the Chicago Bulls are set to return to game action on the night of Dec. 19 against superstar forward LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. This will be the first game that the Bulls have played since their Dec. 11 loss on the road against the Miami Heat.
The Bulls will be looking to shake a two-game losing streak in this meeting with the Lakers. This two-game losing streak that Donovan and the Bulls are riding right now is largely thanks to the plethora of absences the team faced as a result of all of the players in the league’s health and safety protocol.
Moreover, the Bulls had their last two games pushed back thanks to a double-digit number of players that were in the health and safety protocol earlier in the week. Some of the large number of players that the Bulls had in the health and safety protocol included star shooting guard/forward DeMar DeRozan, shooting guard Zach LaVine, point guard Coby White, and forward Derrick Jones Jr., among many others.
They had matchups against the Detroit Pistons (Dec. 14) and Toronto Raptors (Dec. 16) that were supposed to happen this week postponed in the wake of these COVID-19-related issues.
Yet, the Bulls won’t be the only team in this game plagued by injury and health and safety protocol issues of late. This is something that the Lakers are facing too heading into this game.
Here’s a look at the betting odds and predictions as two shorthanded teams in the Bulls and Lakers square off at the United Center in Chicago, with tip-off time set for 7 p.m. CT on Dec. 19.
Chicago Bulls vs. Los Angeles Lakers betting odds
According to WynnBet, the Bulls are a six-point favorite over the Lakers a few hours ahead of tip-off. And the over/under is set at 215 points for this game.
The ESPN matchup predictor gives the Bulls a 64.3 percent chance to beat the Lakers.
Chicago Bulls vs. Los Angeles Lakers prediction
There is an enormous injury report that is set for this meeting between the Bulls and Lakers. According to the latest injury report from the NBA on Dec. 19, the Lakers are missing the likes of superstar big man Anthony Davis, wing Kent Bazemore, guard Avery Bradley, center Dwight Howard, and shooting guard/small forward Talen Horton-Tucker, among many others in this game.
Davis is the most notable player out for the Lakers on this night as he suffered a knee injury in a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Dec. 17. Missing Davis is huge for the Lakers and could make it easier for the Bulls to get the win.
Meanwhile, the Bulls are getting some key players back in this game. DeRozan is the most notable player returning from the health and safety protocol for the Bulls. Adding DeRozan alongside star center Nikola Vucevic can give the Bulls enough offensive firepower to theoretically get this win.
The Bulls also have the likes of Coby and shooting guard/forward Javonte Green available for this game after they spent the last couple of weeks in the health and safety protocol.
While the Bulls will still be without LaVine in this game, getting this trio of DeRozan, White, and Green, back is big.
The combination of the Bulls getting back this trio of DeRozan, White, and Green, along with Davis missing for the Lakers definitely swings this game far in Chicago’s favor. This should be one that the Bulls can pull out as they return to action at the United Center against a shorthanded Lakers team.