The Los Angeles Lakers are set to kick off a five-game road trip that will make or break their season and it begins in Chicago against a Bulls team that just dominated L.A. on Sunday afternoon. Superstar LeBron James returned in that contest and now the Lakers are set for another return in this one with point guard D’Angelo Russell back in the lineup.
Russell’s shooting and playmaking will be extremely important as the Lakers’ failures to take care of the ball were a main culprit of their Sunday loss. LeBron had five turnovers in his return as he tried to kick off some of the rust after missing the last month while Austin Reaves also gave the ball up five times.
There were 18 Lakers turnovers in total, leading to 34 Bulls points. Chicago also had a 15-to-5 advantage in fastbreak points as they were able to get easy baskets in transition. In the end, Patrick Beverley was able to have a lot of fun at his former team’s expense and make good on his promise to hurt the Lakers’ playoff chances.
There are no worries about James finding his rhythm as he continues to reintegrate himself with this team, and the Lakers now have the chance to build that chemistry with a mostly full roster that they have needed. But if they are going to come out with a victory on Wednesday, Anthony Davis has to lead the way.
Davis took just eight shot attempts on Sunday, finishing with just 15 points and 9 rebounds despite Bulls center Nikola Vucevic being ejected in the second quarter. The Lakers need the Davis that dominated the Oklahoma City Thunder and Phoenix Suns and in front of his hometown fans, there should be no lack of motivation to at least double his field goals this time.
Zach LaVine was unstoppable on Sunday so the Lakers will need to do a better job of containing him and forcing him into difficult shots as many of his looks were wide-open or at the rim. But what put the nail in the coffin was the Bulls bench.
The Chicago reserves outscored the Lakers bench 48-to-41 and knocked down eight 3-pointers. Coby White, Derrick Jones Jr. and Ayo Donsunmu all knocked down multiple threes while Andre Drummond controlled the paint and the glass. Drummond is out of this game due to personal reasons, however.
The stars are gonna be stars, but whichever team’s supporting cast steps up will likely make the difference in this game.
Los Angeles Lakers (37-38) vs. Chicago Bulls (36-39)
5:00 p.m. PT, March 29, 2023
United Center, Chicago, IL
TV: Spectrum SportsNet
Radio: 710 AM ESPN LA
Projected Lakers Starting Lineup:
PG: D’Angelo Russell
SG: Austin Reaves
SF: LeBron James
PF: Jarred Vanderbilt
C: Anthony Davis
Key Reserves: Dennis Schroder, Troy Brown Jr., Malik Beasley, Wenyen Gabriel, Rui Hachimura
Projected Bulls Starting Lineup:
PG: Patrick Beverley
SG: Zach LaVine
SF: Alex Caruso
PF: DeMar DeRozan
C: Nikola Vucevic
Key Reserves: Patrick Williams, Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, Derrick Jones Jr.
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