LaVine vs. AD: How to Bet Monday’s Bulls-Lakers Game (Archive)
The Chicago Bulls (9-4) will battle with the Los Angeles Lakers (8-6) on NBA TV this Monday evening. Both teams managed to win games in the STAPLES Center on Sunday. The Lakers took care of the Spurs, 114-106, in the afternoon and the Bulls won 100-90 last night against the Clippers.
Chicago Bulls vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Monday, November 15, 2021 – 10:30 PM EST at Staples Center
The Lakers are a 1-point favorite at BMR’s top-rated sportsbooks, but they have been one of the worst spread bets in the NBA this season at 5-9. Chicago is 9-4 ATS, tied with Miami for the second-best record in the NBA. Can the new-look Bulls down the Lakers without LeBron James (abdominal strain)?
Bulls: Keys to Victory
The Bulls have gotten off to an impressive start as DeMar DeRozan (26.1 points per game) has been a great fit with Zach LaVine as the duo have very similar offensive stats this season. The Bulls are 6-1 this season when DeRozan scores more than 25 points and 5-2 when LaVine does the same. At the NBA odds are both won’t have an off night, though the 11-1 Warriors held their own against the duo in a 119-93 win just three days ago.
Chicago will be without center Nikola Vucevic, who is in the COVID protocol. The Bulls have gone 1-1 in the last two games without Vucevic, the third-leading scorer and best rebounder on the team. Alex Caruso, making his first start of the season, actually stepped up to lead the Bulls with his season-high nine rebounds against the Clippers.
This could be a bigger problem against the size of the Lakers compared to the Clippers, who are led in rebounding by Paul George this year. The Lakers allow the third-most second-chance points per game this year, but the Bulls are one of the worst offensive rebounding teams.
But Caruso will likely revel at the moment to play his former team on Monday night. He is averaging 2.5 steals per game despite coming off the bench. The Lakers have the fourth-highest turnover rate this season, so protecting the ball has been an issue. Chicago ranks second in the league in points off turnovers (20.5)
The Bulls shoot the three less frequently than any team in the NBA, but they rank No. 7 right behind the Lakers in 3P% at 36.2%. The Bulls have been the best team at the free-throw line this season, hitting 85.5% of the time. The Lakers rank 26th at 73.4%.
Chicago’s four losses have mostly been about a bad offensive showing. The Bulls are 6-0 when they score more than 105 points this season. The fast-paced Lakers have allowed more than 105 points in all but three games. The Bulls have held five teams under 100 points compared to just one for the Lakers.
Chicago fell to a 40-point effort from Steph Curry and Golden State, but the Bulls held Paul George to a 7-of-25 shooting night on Sunday and beat the Nets with a huge fourth quarter last Monday.
Lakers: A Tumultuous Week
The Lakers improved their record to 3-3 without LeBron after a win over the Spurs on Sunday. That came on the heels of an ugly 107-83 home loss to Minnesota (4-8) on Friday. Prior to that, the Lakers pulled out home overtime wins over Charlotte and Miami, finishing 3-1 in a dramatic week.
Anthony Davis remains the team’s most crucial player in James’ absence. He scored 34 points against the Spurs as his top two scoring games this season have been against San Antonio. Russell Westbrook had a pair of triple-doubles in the overtime wins, but he was a minus-32 in the box score in the Minnesota loss. That game does look like an outlier for the season, but the Lakers are 1-5 this season when they shoot under 47.5% from the field.
Carmelo Anthony coming off the bench had been the full extent of Los Angeles’ three-point offense this season, but he may have peaked against Charlotte when he poured in 29 points on 7-of-10 from downtown. Anthony was shooting an incredible 52% from three at that point, but in the next two games, he was 2-of-13 from three. Sunday saw him make his first start of the season where he made two of his three attempts from three. The Lakers are 6-0 when Anthony shoots better than 50% from the field and 2-6 when he is under 50%.
Prediction
The Lakers are 3-7 ATS as a home favorite this year. They have been anything but reliable this year as the scrambled comeback against a Miami team missing Jimmy Butler and the Minnesota loss show. Meanwhile, the Bulls are playing well and are 6-2 ATS on equal rest.
The Lakers are also 19-33 ATS since last season when coming off a win, the fourth-worst record in that time. I am going to trust the duo of LaVine and DeRozan to pull this one out for the Bulls for your NBA picks.
NBA Pick: Bulls +1 (-110) with Bovada (visit our Bovada Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.