Last weekend, the Los Angeles Lakers welcomed back LeBron James and Rui Hachimura from injury, finally having their most healthy roster of the season. Unfortunately, the Chicago Bulls ruined that night, dropping 146 points in a dominant 31-point victory at Crypto.com Arena.
Now, the Lakers are looking for revenge against the Bulls in Chicago, and while they are still mostly healthy, Hachimura will be sitting out as the team continues to monitor his left patellar tendinopathy. Hachimura has been on a minutes restriction since his return and the Lakers are undoubtedly focused on being healthy for the playoffs, so this move isn’t much of a surprise in the second night of a back-to-back.
The Lakers are more than equipped to handle it as Dorian Finney-Smith will slide seamlessly into the starting lineup. He and the rest of the team will need to be far more locked in defensively against this Bulls team that has quietly won eight of their last 10 games.
Last Saturday, the Bulls shot 58.3% from the field and knocked down 19 3-pointers as the Lakers defense was just off and not locked in. Containing Coby White, the back-to-back Eastern Conference Player of the Week, is the top priority though that has proven tough for everyone lately. He is averaging 30.6 points over his last 10 games and the Lakers have different players they can throw at him, so expect Finney-Smith, Jordan Goodwin, Gabe Vincent and Jarred Vanderbilt to all have their turns stopping him.
The other player the Lakers must key in on is Josh Giddey, who nearly posted a quadruple-double in L.A. He is perhaps even more dangerous as the primary creator that gets everyone else on the Bulls going, so it might be important to limit his passing and focus on making him more of a scorer as he creates open looks for the likes of Matas Buzelis and Nikola Vucevic.
Offensively, the Lakers are still building things back and LeBron James needs to re-find his touch from the perimeter. He is averaging just 18 points and is only 1-of-8 from deep in his three games back, though he continues to impact the game elsewhere with his rebounding, defense and passing. Meanwhile, Luka Doncic has completely found his touch and Austin Reaves continues to step up as a secondary scorer and creator.
The role players will be key for the Lakers however and whether it is Jaxson Hayes, Vincent, Goodwin or someone else, the Lakers will need a nice boost from one of the other guys if they plan on picking up a second straight win.
Los Angeles Lakers (44-28) vs. Chicago Bulls (32-40)
5:00 p.m. PT, Thursday, March 27, 2025
United Center, Chicago, Illinois
TV: Spectrum SportsNet
Radio: 710 AM ESPN LA
Projected Lakers Starting Lineup:
PG: Luka Doncic
SG: Austin Reaves
SF: LeBron James
PF: Dorian Finney-Smith
C: Jaxson Hayes
Key Reserves: Gabe Vincent, Jordan Goodwin, Jarred Vanderbilt, Dalton Knecht
Projected Bulls Starting Lineup:
PG: Josh Giddey
SG: Coby White
SF: Kevin Huerter
PF: Matas Buzelis
C: Nikola Vucevic
Key Reserves: Patrick Williams, Dalen Terry, Julian Phillips, Jalen Smith
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