The Los Angeles Lakers go for their fourth straight win when they host the Chicago Bulls in a Sunday matinee game at Crypto.com Arena.
The Lakers have begun to find their groove as of late, finally getting to .500 for the first time all season at 37-37. The Western Conference standings remain extremely tight though, so they need to remain focused and take care of business against the Bulls in what is their first of two straight games against them.
The good news is that the Lakers are getting LeBron James back after missing four weeks with a foot injury. He was upgraded to questionable the morning of the game, tested out his foot and determined he is healthy enough to play.
James is coming off the bench for just the second time in his career, likely due to a minutes restriction.
Winning still won’t be an easy task though as the Bulls will be coming in with some extra motivation. Patrick Beverley was traded by the Lakers at the deadline and after winding up with his hometown Bulls, he was open about wanting to knock L.A. out of the playoffs.
That is a challenge that Anthony Davis welcomes as he is looking forward to facing his former teammate. Davis is coming off one of his best games of the season with 37 points and 15 rebounds against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He will need to bring that same intensity in this one, punishing the Bulls inside where they have struggled defensively.
One other matchup to watch for is between two Lakers fan favorites in Alex Caruso and Austin Reaves. While Caruso does not feel their games are similar, there is no denying that both play hard and are extremely competitive, wanting to come out of this one with a win.
Reaves has really expanded his offensive game in recent weeks, taking on more ball-handling duties and getting to the free-throw line at will. Caruso remains one of the best perimeter defenders in the league, so it will be interesting to see if he is able to slow Reaves down.
As far as injuries go, the Lakers are without D’Angelo Russell for a second consecutive game due to hip soreness. On the Bulls side, DeMar DeRozan missed the last game with a right quad straight but is good to go for this one.
Los Angeles Lakers (37-37) vs. Chicago Bulls (35-38)
12:30 p.m. PT, March 25, 2023
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
TV: Spectrum SportsNet
Radio: 710 AM ESPN LA
Projected Lakers Starting Lineup:
PG: Dennis Schroder
SG: Austin Reaves
SF: Troy Brown Jr.
PF: Jarred Vanderbilt
C: Anthony Davis
Key Reserves: LeBron James, Malik Beasley, Rui Hachimura, Wenyen Gabriel, Lonnie Walker IV
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, Andre Drummond, Derrick Jones Jr., Dalen Terry
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