We are back with our top NBA betting picks with the most accurate Bulls at Lakers predictions at betting guide for January 25th, 2024. Both teams have almost identical record and currently hold the 9th place in their respective conferences. The Bulls have amassed 21 wins and 24 losses, while the Lakers are 22-23. Aside from the record and positioning in the conference standings, these two teams share similar fate in terms of having an up-and-down season thus far with a fair share of injuries. Chicago Bulls have been slightly better as of lately with a record of 6-4 in their last 10 games, while the purple and gold are 5-5.
LA Lakers Stumbling Down the Western Conference Standings
If we examine an even broader sample, we will see that the Lakers have been sliding down for some time now as they’ve now lost 13 out of their last 20 games. What’s even worse is that their schedule will only make things more difficult for LeBron and company. After this difficult game against the Bulls, the Lakers will head on the road for a six-game trip including a visit to the TD Garden and the Boston Celtics on Feb 1, 2024. Their next home game will be on February 8 against none other but the defending champs Denver Nuggets.
Given, how inconsistent they’ve been and the fact they’ve had just 6 road wins and 15 losses this season, this Lakers down slide is bound to continue, and they will most likely be even out of the Play In by mid-February. One of my NBA outright predictions is that Darwin Ham will not see off the season, and he will get fired in the upcoming weeks, especially if this road trip ends badly, as I would expect.
A Coaching Change On the Horizon?
Fact of the matter is that the Lakers have a decent roster, and they should be at least in the top 6 in the West. If you look at their starting line up – they have Anthony Davis at Center, and he’s been having a pretty good season averaging 25 points and 12 rebounds, and has missed just a handful of games. LeBron is at the four. Taurean Prince is at the three (SF) and he has been shooting really well from 3-point range averaging just under 10 points, and he is also a really good defender. The guards are D’Lo and Austin Reaves, again solid young guards. D’Lo has been playing great lately averaging 27.2 points and 7.0 assists over the last six games. These are the players that are expected to start against the Bulls tonight, except for one major doubt.
The biggest issue for this Lakers team is that they don’t play a lot of defense. AD is the best defender out of that starting five, and then Prince. The rest, including Bron, are not what you would call top defenders. And yet, defense is a mostly a team thing in basketball, as it’s often about covering for you man if someone beats him off the dribble or in a pick-and-roll. And that’s where the importance of a good coach comes in. Darwin Ham is not an experienced coach by any means and perhaps the Lakers need experience in that position and someone oriented towards team defense that would hide the personal deficiency (in defense) of some the Lakers.
A really important factor about this NBA betting pick and Bulls at Lakers prediction is that LeBron James might not play. He missed the team’s last game – 127-116 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday. He is currently listed as day-to-day, and coach Ham said they are taking a cautious approach with the 20-year vet/legend.
Capable Bulls Team Looking For Consistency or Rebuild?
This Chicago Bulls team is not great, but it’s not terrible either. It’s the type of team where you can see they are not good enough to contend for anything, yet there is some potential, and they could beat any team in the NBA on a good night. Perhaps the main thing stopping their management from pushing the trigger on a rebuild is that they don’t have a single great piece to build around. At the same time, they are stuck with paying millions of dollars on slightly above-average players.
DeMard Derozan has always been one of my favorite players particularly because of his old school game and still using the mid-range for most of his shots. But he is not an All Star or an MVP caliber player anymore. He is on the backend of his career, currently averaging 21.9 PPG with 4 rebounds and 5 assists.
Nikola Vucevic, who made the All Star Game while in Orlando, has failed to develop his potential ever since he got in Chicago, and he has turned into a decent mid-level player. Again, not great, not terrible. He averages 16.9 PPG with 10 rebounds. Good numbers, but not the type of numbers that light up the league.
Of course, the big issue with the Bulls over the past two years has been the injury to Lonzo Ball. The former Laker was expected to turn into one of the star point guards of the NBA, but has been gone for almost two years now, and he will not return this season at all. Again, loads of money wasted on a talent that failed to deliver, and we can only assume he will be far from this best days once he gets back, if ever.
The only positive news for the Bulls has been the development of point guard Coby White, who has used Ball’s absence to the fullest making the most of his chances. In his fifth year in the NBA, White is now averaging 18.8 points while starting all 45 of Chicago’s games. He started just twice in 74 appearances last season, when he averaged just 9.7 points, so that’s huge progress that certainly puts him in the conversation for Most Improved Player of the Year award.
Bulls at Lakers Prediction
The Bulls will be eager to avenge for the win they blew against the Suns on Tuesday after giving away a 21-point lead only for Durant to score a buzzer beater in the last second. Zach LaVine will miss this game. However, the Lakers will be looking to win this game as well given their slide over the last 20 games and their though schedule ahead. The online bookies as favoring LA to win in this one with 1.50 on the Money Line, while the value is on the Bulls at 2.70.
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