The defending-champion Lakers are coming off of their first loss in their last five contests, a 118-109 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, so you can expect LeBron James and company to come out hard on Friday night. The Chicago Bulls, meanwhile, are also coming off of a loss, having dropped their last contest 128-124 to the Sacramento Kings. The big-time Lakers and the perpetually underachieving Bulls will faceoff to see which squad can get out of the hole on Friday night.
Free Picks: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Chicago Bulls
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Chicago Bulls, NBA, Staples Center
Lakers To Show Their Dominance At Staples Center (Season Betting Record: 10-10)
The Lakers didn’t exactly get the result they were looking for on Thursday night when they fell to the Spurs by nearly 10 points, so you can expect them to bounce back nicely in the second half of a back-to-back. They’ll be taking on the lowly Bulls so that should give heart to anyone who was worrying about a Lakers bet on this lovely NBA Friday night.
The fact that this matchup is taking place on a Friday actually bodes well for Lakers bettors: the Bulls have gone 0-8 against the spread over the past little while in games that take place on Friday. Not to mention the fact that the Lakers have gone 4-1-1 against the spread over the past few years when they’re taking on Chicago.
Now, the Bulls have beaten the spread in six of their past seven games, but there is a caveat for this particular game because LeBron James just loves to play against Chicago. It may have something to do with the fact that Michael Jordan starred in the Windy City for so many years, but who really knows. Anyway, it just so happens that the King has scored more points per game (28.6) against the Bulls then all but three teams, so you can expect that regal dominance to continue on Friday night.
The Bulls have been surprisingly mediocre to start this young season, but the 19.7 points they’re giving up to opponents off of turnovers will do them in against the savvy Lakers led by the veteran James. We’re taking the Lakers to win and win big as -9.0 point favorites at -105 odds on 22Bet.
Stats
- Chicago has gone 0-8 ATS in their last eight Friday games
- Chicago is 1-4-1 ATS in their last 6 games against Los Angeles
- The UNDER has hit in the last 7 straight games for Los Angeles
- The UNDER has hit in 4 of the last 6 meetings between these teams
Tags:
More NBA Free Picks
see more
Free Picks: Clippers vs. Mavericks, 2021 Western Conference Playoffs Round 1
The Los Angeles Clippers will renew hostilities with the Dallas Mavericks, who they dispatched in the first round of last season’s playoffs.
Free Picks: Denver Nuggets vs. Portland Trail Blazers, 2021 Western Conference Playoffs Round 1
The Denver Nuggets and the league’s presumptive NBA MVP will look to get off to a strong start against the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 1.
Free Picks: Golden State Warriors vs. Memphis Grizzlies
The Golden State Warriors will host the Memphis Grizzlies in the final play-in game, which will determine the Western Conference’s eighth seed.
Free Picks: Washington Wizards vs. Indiana Pacers
The Washington Wizards will host the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night with the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference on the line.
By:Alex Murray
Alex is an alumnus of Ryerson University's RTA Sport Media program, a contributing NHL, NBA, and MLB writer in the BetPicks.ca team. He has been writing on sports, betting, and fantasy contests for several years, including pitstops as an NFL Editor for theScore and as one of the lead NBA news writers for fantasy sports site FantasyPros. As a lifelong athlete, bettor, and sports fan, Alex is uniquely qualified to help you reach the sports betting success that you've always dreamed of and your wife never believed you could achieve.
- betpicks.ca
- Free Picks
- NBA Free Picks – Best Bets of the Week
- Free Picks: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Chicago Bulls