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Lakers vs Bulls Odds, Spread and Predictions

Quinn Allen

by Quinn Allen in NBA Basketball

Updated Dec 18, 2021 · 5:32 PM PST

Los Angeles Lakers players on the court during an NBA game
Dec 15, 2021; Dallas, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) and forward LeBron James (6) and forward Anthony Davis (3) and guard Russell Westbrook (0) in action during the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Lakers at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
  • The Lakers visit the depleted Bulls on Sunday, December 19th
  • Chicago currently has seven players out due to COVID-19, while LA is also missing several
  • Read on for the odds, preview, and prediction

The Chicago Bulls return to action for the first time in eight days as they face LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, December 19th. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 PM EST at the United Center.

LA has been improving lately, but they did lose by 18 points to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night. In the process, the team also lost Anthony Davis, who suffered an MCL sprain and will be out for the next month. Chicago on the other hand, just had over a week off because of their COVID-ravaged squad. However, DeMar DeRozan has cleared protocols and will be back in the mix this weekend.

Lakers vs Bulls Odds

Team Spread Moneyline Total Points
Los Angeles Lakers +4.5 (-110) +164 OFF
Chicago Bulls -4.5 (-110) -196 OFF

Odds as of December 18th at FanDuel.

LA is a 4.5-point road underdog and has gone 11-19 ATS this season. The Bulls meanwhile, boast a 12-5 record as an ATS favorite. The last time these two teams met in mid-November, Chicago rolled to a convincing 121-103 victory behind a 38-piece from DeRozan.

Lakers Heading Into Tough Stretch

Frank Vogel’s squad was starting to actually get into a rhythm, going 6-4 in their last 10 games. While Talen Horton-Tucker, Austin Reaves, Avery Bradley, Malik Monk, and Dwight Howard are all on the shelf because of COVID-19, the biggest loss of them all is AD.

In the first half of Friday’s contest vs. Minnesota, Davis twisted his ankle. Thankfully, he returned not long after and seemed to be okay. However, Jalen McDaniels then fell right into AD’s knee in the third quarter, which led to his night being done for good. As we know, he is one of the Lakers’ best defenders. Playing solid defense has been this team’s biggest problem this season. Between his output on both ends of the floor, this absence is going to sting badly.

Despite a rather poor performance against the T-Wolves though, there was one clear bright spot: the return of Isaiah Thomas. Los Angeles signed the veteran guard to a 10-day hardship deal on Friday and he quickly made his presence felt, scoring a team-high 19 points in 22 minutes of action off the bench. IT was finding his spots and looked extremely comfortable at the NBA level after a failed stint with the Pelicans last season.

But, aside from Thomas’s solid night, the Lakers struggled, shooting just 27% from deep and getting absolutely dominated inside, with Minny out rebounding them 61-36.

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Bulls Trying to Grind Out Victories

Chicago was just cleared to practice on Saturday after a full-blown COVID-19 outbreak ripped through the organization. They’re still without several key players, most notably Zach LaVine, but the fact that DeRozan is going to be ready to roll on Sunday is huge. Lonzo Ball, Nikola Vucevic, and Alex Caruso are available as well, which means the Bulls will have a good part of their core against the Lakers.

Prior to the NBA postponing Chicago’s two games this week, Billy Donovan’s squad did lose back-to-back contests to the Cavaliers and Heat. In the process, they were outscored by a total of 48 points. However, the Bulls were already missing key rotational pieces, specifically DeRozan.

Although the virus is taking its toll on this team, Chicago is putting the league on notice. They’re currently second in the East with a solid 17-10 record and possess a true superstar duo in DeRozan and LaVine. Both players are within the top-10 in the Association in scoring with over 26 points per night.

Lakers vs Bulls Prediction

This is truly the battle of two squads who have very thin rotations at the moment. The Bulls do play well at home, going 8-4 while the Lakers struggle on the road, posting a 6-7 record. However, I think LA has the edge here. Chicago could be a bit rusty after some time off and LeBron and Co. will be hungry to respond after an atrocious showing in Minnesota. Lakers on the moneyline offers the most value.

Pick: Los Angeles Lakers +164

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