Los Angeles operating without full arsenal
Chicago suffered a major meltdown last night, dropping a 102-95 verdict to the Clippers. Can Fred Hoiberg’s bunch rebound against the other pro hoops organization in the City of Angels?
The Bulls and Lakers collide this evening, with a 9:30 p.m. ET tip at Staples Center. Online sports book Bovada.lv gives the visitors odds of -155 to bounce back. Conversely, Los Angeles represents a +135 underdog.
A miserable fourth quarter essentially snapped Chicago’s four-game winning streak roughly 10 hours ago. The Bulls blew a double-digit lead, converting only one basket in the final 6 ½ minutes. Dwayne Wade was the lone bright spot, pouring in 28 points and hauling down eight rebounds.
San Antonio dealt Luke Walton’s group a 116-107 loss on Friday. Second-year sensation D’Angelo Russell missed that tilt with a sore left knee, and he’ll likely do the same again here. Fortunately, Lou Williams seems more than capable of picking up some of the slack in scoring that Russell’s absence creates. The veteran guard nailed 9 of 13 shots from the field vs. the Spurs.
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Having captured eight of the past 10 meetings in the series, Chicago should feel confident about its prospects of moving to 9-5 on the season. Yet the Lakers (7-6) continue to make opposing teams uncomfortable with tenacious play on both ends. Bank on a fairly close affair in La-La Land.
SUNDAY NBA FREE PICK: LAKERS +2.5